Showdown With Gov Lawal: Eight Zamfara Lawmakers Dump APC, Cite 32 Months Without Pay

By Our Correspondent

A long-running political battle between Governor Dauda Lawal and a group of Zamfara State lawmakers has erupted into a fresh crisis, with eight members of the State House of Assembly announcing their resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The lawmakers blamed their decision on unresolved political differences, worsening insecurity, alleged injustice, and the non-payment of their salaries, allowances, and other entitlements for 32 months.

At the heart of the dispute, according to the lawmakers, is their confrontation with Governor Lawal over insecurity in rural communities—a disagreement they said began when they raised security concerns on the floor of the House and subsequently deteriorated into an open political rift.

Aliyu Ango Kagara, who represents Talata Mafara South, said the legislators had challenged the Lawal administration over what they considered inadequate attention to communities suffering attacks and insecurity.

Kagara said raising the security situation in the Assembly “did not go down well with the governor,” alleging that the dispute eventually contributed to their suspension and political estrangement from the administration.

He maintained that the conditions which prompted their confrontation with Lawal had deteriorated rather than improved.

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

The lawmakers also alleged that they had spent 32 months without salaries, allowances, and other entitlements, adding another dimension to their confrontation with the state political establishment.

Those identified in multiple reports as part of the group include Kagara; Ibrahim Tukur of Bakura; Faruk Musa Dosara of Maradun I; Bashir Abubakar Masama of Bukkuyum North; Bashar Aliyu of Gummi I; Basiru Bello of Bungudu West; Nasiru Abdullahi of Maru North; and Muktaru Nasiru, popularly known as Jikan Shehu, of Kaura Namoda North.

The lawmakers said their decisions followed consultations with constituents and political associates. Their resignation letters cited divisions among party stakeholders, alleged injustice and uncertainty, alongside their complaints about insecurity and governance.

The development came as Lawal separately warned dissatisfied political appointees that they were free to resign. Speaking at an APC stakeholders’ meeting in Gusau on Saturday, the governor urged party members to abandon factional politics and unite ahead of the 2027 elections.

However, the Zamfara APC said it had not formally received the lawmakers’ resignation letters.

State APC Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji said the party had seen copies circulating on social media but was awaiting formal communication through the lawmakers’ ward and local government structures before taking a position.

The lawmakers have not publicly announced their next political destination.