David Mark Quits PDP After 26 Years, Cites Leadership Crisis and Deepening Divisions

Former Senate President, David Mark, has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), bringing an end to his 26-year-long association with the party he helped found in 1998. Mark’s resignation, conveyed in a letter dated June 27 and addressed to the PDP Chairman in his Otukpo Ward, Benue State, marks a significant blow to the already embattled opposition party.

In the letter, Mark expressed deep regret over the state of the PDP, describing it as “a shadow of its former self” and lamenting that it is now plagued by “irreconcilable differences and public embarrassment.”

“I write to formally inform you of my decision to resign my membership of the party with immediate effect,” Mark stated. “I have remained firm and deeply committed to the ideals of the PDP even when many others left after the 2015 presidential defeat. I pledged to remain the last man standing.”

Mark, who served as Senate President between 2007 and 2015 and played a pivotal role in shaping the PDP’s dominance during the early 2000s, noted that his resignation was a difficult but necessary step. As one of the founding members of the PDP, he said he had invested considerable time and effort in rebuilding and repositioning the party, especially after its loss of federal power in 2015.

However, the veteran lawmaker concluded that recent events within the party have made it impossible for him to continue, pointing to worsening internal crises and what he sees as a lack of clear direction in leadership.

Mark’s exit is expected to spark fresh debate over the future of the PDP, as the party struggles to maintain unity and relevance ahead of the 2027 general elections.