Eight suspended members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly have dismissed reports that they have returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that their recent visit to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa was to seek a resolution of their grievances.
The lawmakers said their meeting with the President centred on the circumstances surrounding their suspension and outstanding entitlements, stressing that they had neither defected to the APC nor pledged to rejoin the party.
Their position was made public by their spokesman, Hon. Ibrahim Tukur Bakura, who represents Bakura Constituency in the state assembly.
Speaking exclusively to DAILY GAZETTE, Bakura described reports suggesting that the lawmakers had returned to the ruling party as false and misleading.
“We have not returned to APC. We only discussed our problems with the President,” he said.
He explained that the delegation visited the Villa to discuss the reasons for their suspension, their pending entitlements and possible ways of resolving the issues.
“Neither have we decamped to the APC nor promised to return to the APC. What took us to the Villa was to discuss the problem of why we were suspended, our pending entitlements and how to resolve it,” Bakura added.
The lawmaker further stated that any decision to formally rejoin the APC would be publicly announced, promising to personally inform major media organisations if such a decision was reached.
“If we decide to return to the APC officially, I will personally call Leadership and other important media houses and brief them,” he said.
The clarification follows the lawmakers’ meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Monday.
The delegation was reportedly led by the Minister of State for Defence and former Zamfara State Governor, Dr Bello Matawalle.
However, a statement by Matawalle’s media aide, Ahmad Dan-Wudil, had indicated that the lawmakers reaffirmed their loyalty to the APC and expressed support for Tinubu’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The eight lawmakers are Aliyu Ango Kagara, representing Talata Mafara South; Ibrahim Tukur Bakura, Bakura; Faruk Musa Dosara, Maradun I; Bashir Abubakar Masama, Bukkuyum North; Muktaru Nasiru Kaura, Kaura North; Nasiru Abdullahi, Maru North; Bashar Bello, Bungudu West; and Bashar Aliyu, Gummi I.
They were suspended on February 26, 2024, over allegations of gross misconduct, conspiracy, contempt of the House and holding an unauthorised sitting in violation of the assembly’s Standing Orders. Their suspension was extended on May 13, 2026.
The Speaker of the House, Hon. Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki, had maintained that the disciplinary action preceded the lawmakers’ political decisions and arose from internal legislative matters.
