In a significant political realignment in northwestern Nigeria, the Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Bilyaminu Moriki, and 12 other legislators have resigned from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and joined the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC). This development gives the APC complete control of the 24-member assembly.
The defection was announced by Speaker Moriki during a plenary session in Gusau on Monday, where the lawmakers presented their official resignation letters. This move follows the earlier defection of Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, from the PDP to the APC.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the national secretariat of the APC has scheduled an official reception for Governor Lawal for Tuesday, March 24. The event, to be held in Abuja, will be led by Vice President Kashim Shettima and the party’s national leadership, with assistance from all former governors of Zamfara State. The state assembly members who defected are expected to be formally received into the party alongside the governor on the same day.
Among the lawmakers who switched parties are key principal officers: Deputy Speaker Adamu Aliyu (Gummi II), Majority Leader Bello Mazawaje (Tsafe East), and Chief Whip Rilwanu Nagambo (Anka). Speaker Moriki stated the decision was unanimous and motivated by a desire to align with Governor Lawal and foster development. “It became necessary for all of us to support Gov. Dauda Lawal to bring more development to the state,” Moriki said, adding that the legislators consulted their constituencies before making the move. He framed the shift as a step toward ensuring smoother collaboration between the state government and the federal administration, which is led by the APC.
This mass defection effectively ends PDP representation in the Zamfara Assembly, consolidating the APC’s legislative majority. The political realignment underscores the ongoing restructuring of state-level alliances in Nigeria, often driven by strategic positioning ahead of future electoral cycles and efforts to secure federal-level support for state initiatives. The formal reception ceremony on Tuesday is expected to cement this new political order in Zamfara, presenting a unified front for the state under the APC banner.
