Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has insisted that he will not leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), amid increasing calls and public suggestions for him to join the All Progressives Congress (APC). These calls have come from none other than his predecessor and current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.
The back-and-forth began after Matawalle extended an invitation to Lawal, asking him to defect to the APC. The request was made while Matawalle received visitors at his residence in Maradun during the Sallah celebrations. Speaking before a large group of supporters, Matawalle said Governor Lawal should stop, in his words, “the hide-and-seek type of game” and join the APC openly.
But the Zamfara Governor quickly put those rumours to rest. Speaking through his Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Mustafa Kaura, Lawal made it clear that he was not planning to leave the party that gave him the mandate to govern.
“Some people have been spreading rumours that Governor Dauda Lawal is planning to dump his party, the PDP, and join APC,” Kaura said in a telephone conversation with The PUNCH. “There is no iota of truth in this. As such, I want the PDP supporters to disregard this.”
He continued, “Governor Dauda Lawal will remain in the PDP and has no intention of joining any other party. He is a true believer who believes in God and whatever God has destined to happen must happen, no matter the party he belongs.”
Meanwhile, Matawalle noted that his invitation was not hostile and that he held no personal grudge against Lawal. He said the governor would be welcomed into the APC, a party he described as progressive and committed to improving Zamfara’s fortunes. He also praised President Bola Tinubu’s leadership style, saying it has been focused on development, peace, and national stability.
“The president had Zamfara at heart,” the minister noted, adding that Tinubu remains committed to addressing the challenges facing the state, especially in terms of security and economic hardship.
Matawalle recalled that under the Tinubu administration, many notorious terrorists had been eliminated in Zamfara and neighbouring areas. He explained that the Ministry of Defence, alongside the security agencies, was actively following presidential instructions to push out bandits and restore peace to the region.
