The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President David Mark, and other key political figures exited the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after failing in their attempts to assume control of the party’s leadership structure.
Wike made the assertion during a media chat with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.
According to the minister, David Mark had aspired to become the national chairman of the PDP but was denied the position.
This, Wike claimed, prompted the former Senate President to defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which has recently emerged as a platform for a new opposition coalition.
“David Mark wanted to be PDP chairman, and because he didn’t get it, he left for ADC,” Wike stated.
He urged Nigerians to critically examine the motives behind the newly formed opposition coalition, describing its members as individuals embittered by their loss of political power.
“Nigerians need to be careful of these group of Nigerians who are angry because they left power,” Wike said.
“Nigerians know everybody. For how long would you continue to deceive them? Who would want to give listening to these kind of people?”
Wike further claimed that the opposition had effectively weakened itself in the run-up to the 2027 general elections.
“The opposition has decimated themselves,” he added.
The comments come in the wake of a recent political realignment in which Atiku Abubakar, David Mark, and other notable figures formally adopted the African Democratic Congress as their new political platform, with the aim of challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the forthcoming 2027 presidential elections.
