David Mark, the troubled National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), met in private with leaders of the Peoples Redemption Party on Friday. The ADC’s leadership crisis is getting worse.
The meeting, which took place out of the public eye, brought together important people from both parties. This has led to rumors that opposition groups are becoming more aligned as the 2027 general elections approach.
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the National Chairman of the PRP; Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC National Publicity Secretary; Muhammed Ishaq, the PRP National Publicity Secretary; and Salihu Lukman, the former National Vice Chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), were all at the meeting.
Baba-Ahmed recently took over as head of the PRP after quitting his job as Special Adviser on Political Matters to Vice President Kashim Shettima in April 2025. Many people saw this as a sign that he was getting back into active partisan politics.
Neither party made an official statement after the meeting, but sources who know what was said said that the main topic of conversation was the ongoing leadership dispute within the ADC.
A party leader who asked to remain anonymous said that the PRP used the meeting to show support for the Mark-led leadership of the ADC during its disagreement with the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“The PRP showed strong support for the ADC in its ongoing fight with INEC and other government agencies,” the source said.
“The party strongly condemned the attacks and anti-democratic actions against the ADC by some groups, saying that this behavior threatens the stability of the country and undermines our democracy.”
Mark is said to have thanked the PRP leadership for their support during the meeting.
He said that the PRP was still the only political party to publicly support the ADC during the ongoing crisis.
Mark said, “The ADC also hoped that the good relationship between the two parties would stay that way, putting the needs of the whole country first.”
The meeting took place at a time when tensions were rising within the ADC because a third group had formed within the party.
The group recently supported INEC’s decision to stop recognizing the Mark-led leadership, using a Court of Appeal ruling as proof.
Speaking to reporters in Abuja, the group said that the electoral body’s action was in line with the court’s decision.
The faction also disagreed with Nafiu Bala Gombe’s claim to be in charge, saying that he did not come to power through any recognized or credible means.
The group also said that Ralph Nwosu, the former National Chairman of the ADC, was trying to give the party’s structure to people they said were not members but were allegedly aligned with Mark.
The faction, which included some state chairmen, said it held a real National Executive Committee meeting at Dumebi Kachikwu’s office in Abuja, where it made decisions about a new leadership structure.
