The African Democratic Congress (ADC), recently adopted as the political platform of Nigeria’s main opposition coalition, has appointed key figures to lead its interim leadership team ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Former Senate President David Mark has been named Interim National Chairman, while former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola will serve as Interim National Secretary. The appointments were announced during a high-level meeting of opposition leaders in Abuja on Tuesday.
In addition, Bolaji Abdullahi, a former Minister of Sports, was appointed the Coalition’s Spokesperson.
The ADC is expected to formally unveil the new leadership at another meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
Confirming the development, Kola Ologbondiyan, a former aide to Mark and ex-PDP national publicity secretary, posted on X:
“African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been adopted as the political party for the coalition. The party has elected Sen. David Mark as the Interim National Chairman and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as the Interim National Secretary.”
In his acceptance speech, Aregbesola emphasized the need for ideological clarity and people-oriented governance:
“Our political landscape is plagued by parties that lack ideological depth. They are empty shells merging and splitting, not over policy or principle, but over power and personality,” he said.
“That is not the kind of party we must be. That is not the kind of party I will serve.”
He outlined the coalition’s commitment to practical governance:
“We must be the party that talks about public education and actually builds schools. That speaks of security and supports real policies to keep our communities safe. That believes in jobs and works to create them.”
Aregbesola urged members to hold him accountable and support the mission to rebuild the party and reorient Nigerian politics as a tool for public service.
Talks of a broad opposition coalition have intensified since the start of 2025, with prominent figures like Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Nasir el-Rufai, and Rotimi Amaechi exploring common ground to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
In May, coalition leaders agreed to adopt the ADC as their unifying political platform.
Ralph Nwosu, ADC’s founder, expressed confidence in Mark’s ability to provide the strategic leadership required to reposition the party and steer the coalition toward electoral success.