Eight suspended Zamfara state lawmakers have renewed support for Nigerian President Bola Tinubu after announcing their departure from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a ministerial aide said ahead of the 2027 elections.
Ahmad Dan-Wudil, media aide to Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle, said the minister brought the eight to meet Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. In a statement reported Oct. 19, Dan-Wudil said Matawalle pledged to enlist them in the Tinubu Again Movement to support Tinubu and other APC candidates. His account did not establish that the lawmakers had joined the movement.
The lawmakers announced their APC resignations Oct. 4, raising security concerns and alleging unfair treatment and unpaid compensation. Suspended lawmaker Aliyu Ango Kagara said at the time that the group had gone 32 months without salaries, allowances and other entitlements.
Lawal joined the APC in March after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His office said legal disputes within the PDP were the main reason for the move.
The lawmakers’ position in the Zamfara State House of Assembly is a separate dispute. Assembly Speaker Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki said the eight had been suspended on Feb. 26, 2024, over alleged misconduct and an unauthorized sitting. He said the Assembly extended the suspension on May 13, 2026.
Moriki said the Assembly’s disciplinary action predated the lawmakers’ departure from the APC.
Suspended lawmaker Nasiru Abdullahi Maru called the suspension unlawful at a Jan. 31, 2025, news conference and challenged the Assembly leadership’s account.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) schedules presidential and National Assembly elections for Jan. 16, 2027, followed by governorship and state Assembly elections on Feb. 6.
