Seven lawmakers defect from APC in Yari’s home state

T****here is a fracture within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State as seven serving members of the State House of Assembly have resigned their membership of the party.

This follows a public defection of scores of APC members led by Hajiya Hadiza Liman from the party to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on Friday, alleging unfair treatment by APC leaders in the state.

The seven lawmakers, including an ally of the Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, former Governor Abdul’aziz Yari Abubakar, announced their withdrawal from the party on Sunday, citing concerns over insecurity, alleged injustice and other issues affecting the well-being of the people.

Our correspondent reports that the lawmakers were on suspension before they left the APC. They were suspended because they tried to impeach the Speaker of the State House of Assembly about a year ago.

Sources say the issues that led to their suspension had not been resolved and had affected their bids to secure return tickets from the APC, as only one of them was successful.

There are indications that the lawmakers might pitch their tent with another party to register their discontentment with how their matter had been handled.

In a statement announcing their decision, the eight lawmakers said they could no longer remain in a political party which, according to them, had failed to provide adequate security for citizens.

They expressed dissatisfaction with what they described as the party’s inability to address challenges confronting the state, particularly the worsening security situation.

The lawmakers, who resigned include Aliyu Ango Kagara, representing Talata Mafara South; Ibrahim Tukur Bakura, representing Bakura; Faruk Musa Dosara, representing Maradun I; and Barrister Bashir Abubakar Masama, representing Bukkuyum North.

Others are Muktaru Nasiru Kaura (Kaura North); Nasiru Abdullahi (Maru North); Bashar Bello (Bungudu West), and Bashar Aliyu (Gummi I).

Their resignation adds to the growing political developments within Zamfara APC, where internal disagreements and realignments have continued to shape the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The lawmakers did not immediately disclose their next political destination after leaving the APC.

The development is expected to generate further reactions from stakeholders as political parties begin preparations for the next electoral cycle

‘Gov Lawal’s defection was political betrayal’

A suspended member of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Kagara, had accused Governor Dauda Lawal of alleged betrayal.

Kagara said Governor Lawal’s defection to the APC was expected to resolve some of the disagreements between the governor and the lawmakers, but that the situation had instead worsened.

“The governor decamped to our party, APC, thinking that everything would be alright, but the reverse is the case.

“The governor decamped to our party and they denied us our rights to be reinstated. In my life, I have never seen political betrayal other than this,” Kagara said.

Speaking on the position of Amiru Keta, who had earlier been part of their group before joining Governor Lawal’s camp, Kagara, who identified himself as the parallel Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly before they left the APC, said they allowed Keta to join the governor because he was given a return ticket.

“Senator Yari listed his name and he was given a return ticket. Therefore, we permitted him to go, but unwillingly. He was shedding tears while leaving us. Despite joining them, they did not pay him last month’s salary,” Kagara alleged.

However, the Chairman of the Zamfara State House of Assembly Committee on Information, Shamsu Hassan Basko, who admitted that he was initially part of the movement before quitting, said the lawmakers who left the APC are seven, not eight as widely reported.

“I was part of the suspended members earlier. Misunderstanding is everywhere, even in your family, and later you can resolve it and forge ahead,” Basko said.

He said he later realised that the lawmakers were entrusted with the responsibility of representing the interests of their constituents and not pursuing personal gains.

“I was part of them and I returned to the House and continued presenting issues affecting my constituency. Even last week, I presented a motion, including Hon. Amiru Keta, who recently joined,” Basko said.

Basko also denied allegations that Governor Lawal had refused to fulfil promises and agreements reached during the reconciliation process.

“Really, I was part of the reconciliation process and I knew about the arrangement, but I’m not aware of any pending promises.

“I returned to my duty. I was paid all my pending entitlements and salaries for all the months by the governor, and I am sure that if they return to the House, they will also be paid. Even the one who recently joined was paid,” Basko said.

He also denied allegations that the salaries and allowances of the suspended lawmakers had not been paid for 32 months.

Basko acknowledged that the defection was politically significant for Senator Yari, describing the loss of a House member in his constituency as a blow to the former governor.

“Yes, in politics, you don’t want to lose even a single person, and it’s a big blow to Yari. But the issue is that Senator Abdul’aziz Yari was the one who helped the lawmaker who quit to emerge victorious in the last election,” Basko claimed.

However, Basko said he was optimistic that the seven lawmakers would not create any challenge to the APC’s victory.

**We’ve not been officially informed -APC **

When contacted, the state APC publicity secretary, Ibrahim Danmadamin Birnin Magaji, said the party at the state level was yet to be officially notified.

“We are still waiting for their correspondence from their respective political wards after reaching their local government executives, which would later be forwarded to us,” Danmadamin said.

He added that the party had only seen the resignation letters on social media platforms like other members of the public.

Responding to questions on whether the development was linked to an internal crisis within the party, Danmadamin said the APC was not aware of any grievances until it received copies of the resignation letters.

On their part, the resigned lawmakers accused Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration of failing to give adequate attention to insecurity affecting rural communities.

“What we are challenging Governor Lawal’s administration about is even worse now compared to previous times, so we have seen no reason to continue remaining in the APC.

“Our constituents in rural areas who voted us into power to address their security concerns were not being given any attention,” Kagara said.

He also alleged that the lawmakers had gone for 32 months without receiving salaries, allowances and other benefits due to them as elected members of the state House of Assembly.

Meanwhile, a party official who spoke with Daily Trust on condition of anonymity said he did not blame the lawmakers for leaving the APC, alleging that Governor Lawal had chosen to work with others instead of reconciling with some members.

“I don’t blame them, and they did the right thing, as the governor chose not to reconcile with them despite all efforts to ensure they remained in the APC,” he said.

**Why Zamfara matters **

Zamfara is the home state of Senator Yari, who has been appointed the Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

Yari has since assumed office and has been going round the country, holding consultations, ahead of the official launch of the presidential campaign.

Our correspondent reports that his son, Ahamad Yari, led a group of young men in the state to campaign for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second term.

While the DG of the campaign council is trying frantically to mobilise for the APC presidential candidate, his home front seems to be capitulating to the opposition parties.

Our correspondent reports that there has been an emerging political realignment in Zamfara State ahead of the 2027 general elections with former governor Abdul’aziz Yari, Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle and Governor Dauda Lawal all trying to control their turfs.

Yari’s appointment as Director-General of the Tinubu/Shettima 2027 Presidential Campaign Council has further elevated his status in state.

Having served as governor for eight years and is now a senator, saddled with the task of ensuring President Tinubu secures another mandate, he is expected to deliver his state.

With the current imbroglio within the APC in his state, many contend that it would not be an easy task.

Governor Lawal, who moved from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in March, political observers say, is finding it difficult to navigate smoothly in the midst of the structures in place before he came.

In April, our correspondent reported some disagreements within the Zamfara APC over control of party structures and political influence, with Matawalle complaining that arrangements involving Lawal and Yari had sidelined his camp.

Though the trio have continued to campaign for Tinubu, it is not clear if those fundamental issues have been taken care of and there have been concerns about whether their separate political networks can work together and deliver the state in the 2027 elections.

Yari retains substantial political experience and a long-standing network in Zamfara, while Matawalle has his own structures developed during his tenure as governor and subsequent federal appointment and Lawal, as the incumbent governor, controls the machinery of the state government and has built his own political following.

There’s growing suspicion that the various camps may be working to undo one another which is what is manifesting in the gale of defections.

APC members defect to NDC

Daily Trust recalls that on Friday, hundreds of APC members in Zamfara State defected to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The defectors, under the Voters Association of Zamfara State led by Hajiya Hadiza Liman, were drawn from the 147 political wards across the 14 local government areas of the state.

Liman announced the defection at her residence in Gusau, saying the association had decided to join the NDC.

Liman, who is from Madawaki Ward in Gusau Local Government Area, also accused Governor Dauda Lawal of driving Islamic clerics out of the state government House by transforming the Islamic digital library into his wife’s office.

She alleged that religious scriptures were packed in a kitchen while an office was furnished for the governor’s wife, Hajiya Hurriya Dauda Lawal.

Liman further said members of the association supported Lawal’s emergence as governor and his movement into the APC, but claimed they had not benefited from the political support they gave him.

“We struggled for Governor Lawal’s emergence, but after he was sworn in, he invited people from Niger, Kaduna and other states to become the blocks and pillars of his administration instead of indigenes of the state,” she said.

The chairman of Madawaki Ward, Surajo Garba PA, registered Liman and presented her with the NDC membership card.

He subsequently directed the defectors to return to their respective wards and register with the party.

Lawmakers’ next move

Though the seven members have not indicated where they are heading politically, it is speculated that they might move to the NDC due to alignment with Senator Marafa, who has set up a structure in his quest to contest the governorship seat in the state.

Marafa was in the APC but had moved out of the party due to disagreements with the stalwarts of the party in the state.

Our correspondent reports that since 2019, when the APC lost Zamfara as a result of a dispute over structure, the state has been experiencing different kinds of partisan shifts, as Matawalle, who benefitted from the court judgement and became governor on the platform of the PDP defected to the APC in 2023 but lost to Lawal of the PDP.

Now Lawal has defected to the APC, while the party, despite having key pillars, is again haemorrhaging to the extent that many fear it would threaten the strength of the ruling party in the state.

‘Action driven by personal interests’

Babayo Sule, an associate professor and public affairs commentator, attributed the defection of lawmakers in Zamfara State to personal political interests, saying many politicians are now joining the opposition because they believe the political tide is shifting.

Sule said the development was neither new nor surprising, arguing that Nigerian politicians often prioritise their personal interests over broader political considerations.

He said the lawmakers might have defected after assessing the prevailing political environment, particularly in the North, where he claimed the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) was increasingly being identified with the masses.

According to him, some of the lawmakers could also be aggrieved over the denial of return tickets by their parties.

“They might only be looking at where the pendulum is currently swinging,” Sule said.

He added that “being an opposition, particularly in ADC, means you are now with the masses, while being in APC means you are now the antagonist.”

Sule said the development could also undermine the effectiveness of the APC presidential campaign director-general, particularly his efforts to mobilise support for the party’s candidate across the North.

Speaking on the development, a Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Ilorin, Prof Hassan Saliu, said the resignation of the lawmakers was significant.

He, however, cautioned against interpreting it as an indication of an imminent rejection of the APC in Zamfara State.

Saliu said the development showed that some party members were dissatisfied with the situation within the APC, but noted that their current decision might not necessarily determine how they would act during the 2027 general elections.

According to the president of the Nigerian Society of International Affairs (NSIA), the APC would also be expected to respond to the development by addressing the grievances of the affected members and seeking ways to prevent the crisis from widening.

He said some of the grievances reportedly centred on strained relations between the lawmakers and the state governor, as well as allegations of unpaid salaries and other welfare concerns.

The political scientist said the issue of Senator Yari made the development noteworthy, but added that it was still too early to determine the extent to which the crisis could affect the party’s wider political structure in the state.

“Don’t draw any conclusive statement on that. They have complained before now about non-payment of salary and stuff like that. APC can swing into action to address that,” he said.

By Abdullahi Abdulrahaman Chakwa, Gusau &Mumini Abdulkareem, Ilorin & Dalhatu Liman, Abuja