David Mark

By Sabiu Abdullahi

The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, David Mark, has said the party will follow electoral rules but will resist any attempt to manipulate the 2027 general elections or prevent it from participating fairly.

Mark spoke on Wednesday in Abuja when he received a delegation from the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development at the ADC national headquarters.

The delegation, led by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, was at the party’s secretariat as part of consultations with political parties and other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 elections.

Mark said the ADC was committed to observing the rules governing the elections as well as its internal code of conduct.

“We hold ourselves to the highest standards of good conduct as a political party. We will play by the rules. But we will not accept rigging or allow ourselves to be rigged out.

“We are committed to playing politics in a manner that promotes public confidence in democracy,” he said.

The ADC chairman said the party would also abide by the guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission and the provisions of its Orange Book, which outlines the party’s code of conduct and governance principles.

Mark had previously cautioned against the use of state institutions to influence the 2027 electoral process, stressing the importance of protecting the credibility of the elections.

Speaking during the visit, Ariwoola said the Savannah Centre was seeking commitments from political parties and their candidates towards peaceful, free, fair and credible elections.

He urged the ADC leadership to ensure that its candidates and supporters adhered to INEC regulations and avoided actions that could contribute to political violence.

The engagement is part of the ongoing consultations by the centre’s Council of the Wise with political actors and other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 elections.

The council, chaired by Ariwoola, was reconstituted in June with a mandate to promote peaceful and credible elections while engaging political parties, government institutions and other key stakeholders.

Its engagements have included meetings with political candidates and other political actors, with emphasis on compliance with electoral rules, issue-based campaigns and efforts to prevent violence and hate speech.

The delegation to the ADC included members of the Council of the Wise, among them Professors Abdullahi Shehu and Azeez Dankano, Executive Director of the Centre, Ambassador Sani Bala, Tunji Lardner and Ambassador Godswill Ighali.

The centre had earlier disclosed plans for the council to engage President Bola Tinubu, INEC leadership, political parties, security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations and other stakeholders before the 2027 elections.

By Muhammad Abubakar

The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Thursday set aside an order of the Court of Appeal to maintain the status quo ante bellum in the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, held that the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal acted without jurisdiction when it issued the order after already dismissing the case filed by a rival faction.

The decision effectively restores the recognition of the party’s executive committee led by former Senate President David Mark.

Prior to the ruling, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had removed David Mark and his executive team from its portal in compliance with the lower court’s status quo order.

The Supreme Court directed all warring factions to return to the Federal High Court to continue and fully determine the substantive suit regarding the party’s leadership.

The ADC has been embroiled in a leadership crisis following a restructuring that brought David Mark in as National Chairman and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola as National Secretary, a move fiercely contested by a rival faction led by Nafiu Bala Gombe.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Senator David Mark, former President of the Nigerian Senate, has lost his first son to cancer. 

Special Adviser to David Mark, Paul Mumeh, announced the demise of David Mark’s son on Friday in a statement

According to Mr Mumeh, Tunde Jonathan Mark died in a London hospital on Friday while surrounded by loved ones and family members. 

The statement reads : 

“Tunde Jonathan Mark, son of former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has died in a London hospital on Friday morning.

Tunde, who died after a long battle with cancer, was the first son of the former President of the Senate.

Born on the 13th of October, 1971, Tunde attended Yaba Military School, located in Yaba, Lagos, where he obtained his first school leaving certificate.

He later proceeded to Bradfield College, Berkshire, UK, where he attended Secondary school.

Tunde is a Biochemist who obtained a B.Sc degree from Kings College, London. He studied immunology alongside biochemistry and later Biological Sciences at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was married with a daughter.

He passed away peacefully, surrounded by family members and loved ones.

Funeral arrangements will be communicated in due course.”