Northern Group to APC: Reject Dauda Lawal or Risk Political Backlash in Zamfara

By Samuel David

As political speculations swirl in Zamfara State, the Northern Awareness Network (NAN) has issued a strong caution to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), warning against the possible defection of Governor Dauda Lawal from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into the ruling party.

In a statement signed by its chairman, Salihu Suleiman, and circulated to journalists on Wednesday, NAN described any plan to welcome Lawal into the APC as a “strategic misjudgment” that could fracture the party’s stability and weaken its electoral prospects in the North-West state.

According to NAN, Governor Lawal’s rumored shift is not born of ideological alignment but rather a desperate move to escape the intensifying political heat being applied by entrenched APC powerbrokers — specifically, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, and former Governor and Senator Abdulaziz Yari. Both figures are known to command significant grassroots loyalty and political influence in Zamfara, and have reportedly been working to neutralize Lawal’s 2027 re-election ambitions.

“The political landscape in Zamfara is delicate, and Governor Dauda Lawal’s hold on power is slipping rapidly,” the NAN statement reads. “His anticipated decampment to the APC should not be mistaken for strength or added value to the party.”

The organization stated bluntly that Lawal’s political trajectory has been marred by controversy and a lackluster performance, which it believes makes him an unsuitable ally for the APC.

“His inclusion in the APC would be an uncalculated gamble,” NAN stated. “Rather than adding value, Lawal would become a burden — creating internal conflict, risking party unity, and diluting the APC’s core message of discipline, vision, and northern unity.”

NAN contends that the APC must be especially wary in Zamfara, a state long plagued by banditry, instability, and a rapidly shifting voter base. “This is not the time for sentimental or reactionary politics. APC needs stability and must build on the solid structures already in place through committed, tested loyalists,” the statement added.

The group also warned that Lawal’s defection could send the wrong signals to party supporters across the region — particularly those who have made sacrifices to build the party’s profile in the North.