Eight members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly who resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) a few weeks ago have agreed to return to the ruling party following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu. The lawmakers met the President on Sunday night and resolved to work for the APC’s success in the 2027 general election.
The delegation was led to the President by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, who was accompanied by Aminu Sani Jaji, a member of the House of Representatives. The meeting came amid reports that the legislators were considering defecting to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) after leaving the APC. However, following the engagement with the Presidency, the lawmakers have shelved those plans, and efforts are reportedly underway to address the grievances that prompted their resignation.
The eight lawmakers are Aliyu Ango Kagara (Talata Mafara South), Ibrahim Tukur Bakura (Bakura), Faruk Musa Dosara (Maradun I), Bashir Abubakar Masama (Bukkuyum North), Muktaru Nasiru Kaura (Kaura North), Nasiru Abdullahi (Maru North), Bashar Bello (Bungudu West), and Bashar Aliyu (Gummi I).
Their resignation in early October was triggered by worsening insecurity, alleged injustice, and the non-payment of 32 months of salaries and allowances. The lawmakers had also accused Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration of failing to adequately address security challenges affecting their constituents. The political crisis had fuelled speculation that the legislators would join the ADC, but Matawalle’s intervention is seen as a significant move to consolidate the APC’s hold in Zamfara ahead of the 2027 polls.
With the reconciliation underway, the APC has moved to close ranks in the state, preventing a potentially damaging opposition defection.