KEY POINTS

• Mark-led ADC faction met Turaki-led PDP bloc in Abuja to explore possible alliance ahead of 2027 elections.
• The meeting included prominent opposition figures such as Atiku Abubakar, Kwankwaso, Peter Obi, Amaechi and Seyi Makinde.
• Talks come amid leadership crises in both ADC and PDP, including INEC’s derecognition of the Mark-led ADC faction.

A faction of the African Democratic Congress led by David Mark is holding talks with a bloc of the Peoples Democratic Party led by Kabiru Turaki in Abuja, amid leadership crises affecting both opposition parties.

The meeting, which is taking place in the federal capital, is understood to be part of efforts to explore possible alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Prominent political figures attending from the Mark-led ADC faction include former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, Senator Aminu Tambuwal representing Sokoto South, former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and Peter Obi, Labour Party presidential candidate in 2023.

On the Turaki-led PDP side are Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde, former Niger State governor Babangida Aliyu, former Information Minister Jerry Gana, and former Senate President Adolphus Wabara.

The talks come against the backdrop of an ongoing leadership dispute within the ADC. Since July 2025, when an opposition coalition assumed control of the party’s leadership, the ADC has faced internal disagreements, with Nafiu Bala, a former deputy national chairman, alleging that Mark was illegally appointed as national chairman.

The crisis escalated last week when the Independent National Electoral Commission derecognised the Mark-led leadership. The commission said it would refrain from engaging with both the Mark and Bala factions, citing a March 12 judgment of the Court of Appeal.

INEC also announced it would not attend meetings, congresses, or conventions organised by the factions pending the determination of a case before the Federal High Court.

On Tuesday, the ADC State Chairmen Forum rejected both factions led by Mark and Bala and announced the formation of an interim committee to oversee the party’s activities pending a national convention.

PDP also divided into rival camps

The Peoples Democratic Party is similarly polarised into rival blocs. In March, a faction backed by Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory, elected Abdulrahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu as national chairman and secretary, respectively.

The Turaki-led PDP faction has approached the Supreme Court seeking to restrain the Wike-backed camp from holding an elective national convention, further deepening the party’s internal divisions.

The ongoing talks between the Mark-led ADC bloc and the Turaki-led PDP faction are therefore seen as part of broader efforts by opposition leaders to build alliances ahead of the next general elections.