David Mark says Tinubu bent on destroying opposition parties

David Mark, national chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has accused President Bola Tinubu of attempting to destroy opposition political parties in Nigeria.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Mark asked why Tinubu is afraid of a free and fair election if he is confident of his performance as the president.

The press briefing followed the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to derecognise the Mark-led national working committee (NWC) of ADC.

On Wednesday, the electoral body announced that it would no longer recognise the factions of the ADC led by David or Rafiu Bala, following its review of the court of appeal judgement.

The commission said the move was in compliance with an order of the court of appeal directing the commission to maintain the status quo pending the resolution of the leadership dispute currently before a federal high court.

But the Mark-led faction rejected INEC’s interpretation of the appellate court ruling, accusing the electoral body of acting under external pressure.

The Mark-led faction and Bala, ADC factional chairman, have been engaging in a series of legal battles over the party’s leadership.

Mark said Nigerians have witnessed how the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government has “undermined and compromised” other opposition political parties in Nigeria.

The former senate president said the ADC has remained the “bastion” between Nigeria’s democracy and full-blown dictatorship.

“What is now unfolding is a concerted effort to dismantle that last bulwark. If we allow this to happen, it could signal the end of our democracy as we know it today,” he said.

“If we yield to it, we would have become complicit in our inaction. We, therefore, hold it as a duty to our democracy and to the Nigerian people to say no.

“Right now, I speak to Nigerians at home and in the diaspora. I also speak directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“With 90 percent of the national assembly and over 30 of Nigeria’s 36 state governors in the APC, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, what are you afraid of?

“If you are convinced that you have done well for the people who voted for you, why are you afraid of a free, fair, and transparent electoral contest?

“If you are indeed the democrat that you claim to be, why are you bent on destroying all opposition political parties in this country? Let me reiterate for the record, there are no competing claims on the leadership of the ADC.”

Mark said Bala has “no locus” in the leadership of the ADC, adding that INEC should have allowed the court of appeal to decide the case before taking a decision.