David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark, 75-year-old former Senate President, could be the next National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), if the current push in that direction by some tendencies within the political family succeed.
TheCable reports that the camp loyal to Vice-President Atiku Abubakar is pushing for Mark, a retired military officer who was Chairman of the National Assembly for a record 12 years, to replace Iyorchia Ayu, who was ousted from the office immediately after the 2023 general elections.
The paper, quoted sources, as saying that those rooting for him believe him to have the capacity to deal with “renegade” party members who are involved in “anti-party activities,” and capable of giving it the direction it requires, especially in dealing with the Nyesom Wike factor.
The PDP has been without a substantive chairman since March 2023 with the ouster of Iyorchia Ayu, also a former senate president, following his suspension at the ward level of the party in Benue state, since the exit of Ayu who is from the same Benue state with Mark, Senate President from 2007 to 2015.
Umar Ililya Damagum became the acting national chairman but the Atiku camp is reportedly uncomfortable with him as he is seen to be close to Wike, former governor of Rivers State and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Bola Tinubu.
Atiku’s biggest supporters — Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa, Babangida Aliyu, former governor of Niger, and Adamu Maina Waziri, former minister — once tried to moved against the acting chairman but pulled back because of a possible backlash.
Wike, who lost the presidential primary to Atiku in May 2022, led a group of five governors that openly opposed Atiku in the 2023 presidential election.
The paper quoted a source as saying: “You would expect the PDP to have suspended or expelled Wike by now for his anti-party activities, worsened by his acceptance of a ministerial appointment from a rival party. But it is very clear that the national working committee is in Wike’s pocket, so we should not expect any form of discipline in the party.”
Mark, a retired brigadier, former military governor of Niger state and former ministry of communication, is a founding member of PDP and has never defected from the party.
Another source, who was quoted as saying that others being considered as next PDP chairman are Bukola Saraki, former senate president, and Gabriel Suswam, former governor of Benue state, reportedly added that the issue of chairmanship would be “on hold” for now until after the presidential election petition was finally settled by the Supreme Court.