Dauda Lawal, the governor of Zamfara State, has referred to himself as the “last man standing,” stating that he worked hard to stay in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and make sure the party survived its difficulties.
However, the Governor clarified that any possibility of him staying in the PDP was essentially eliminated by the Appeal Court’s decision on Monday, which rejected the PDP’s Ibadan National Convention.
According to Naija News, Governor Lawal disclosed the information in a statement released on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, in which he provided an explanation for his choice to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor stated that numerous attempts to bring about peace and out-of-court agreements were unsuccessful, citing the PDP’s internal strife and ongoing legal disputes as the main causes of his defection.
He expressed his optimism that the party leaders would make amends, pointing out that he was the only governor running for a second term who choose to remain with the PDP.
However, Lawal said that he had to join the APC for the benefit of the Zamfara people because all peace initiatives had failed.
In light of the Peoples Democratic Party’s continuous legal troubles, Zamfara state stakeholders decided to join the All Progressives Congress.
“Governor Dauda Lawal has shown that he is devoted to the Peoples Democratic Party. In order to maintain unity and allow the party to field candidates for future elections, he worked assiduously to promote reconciliation among its divisions.
“Peace, reconciliation, and out-of-court settlements have proven difficult to achieve, resulting in a series of legal battles that may have future implications, particularly for leaders contesting elections in 2027,” the statement said.
“He was the only governor seeking a second term who chose to stay, hoping that party leaders would demonstrate decorum and take appropriate action,” Idris said, referring to Governor Lawal as “the last man standing in the PDP.”
He noted that Lawal had told stakeholders following a series of meetings last week about the political situation that he had acknowledged their request to defect to the APC but would make a definitive decision following the ruling of the appellate court.
Governor Dauda Lawal’s tenure in the Peoples Democratic Party was terminated by the appellate ruling because he put Zamfara state’s interests first.
The statement went on, “He joined the All Progressives Congress to sustain the Zamfara Rescue and Rebuild mission.”
Naija News remembers that on Monday, March 9, the Appeal Court upheld a federal high court’s ruling prohibiting the PDP from holding the national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16, 2025, in Ibadan.
An appeal filed by the PDP contesting the federal high court’s jurisdiction to hear the lawsuit was dismissed by a three-member panel of the court.
The lead judge, Uchechukwu Onyemenam, ruled that the PDP had broken constitutional rules governing convention conduct.
Onyemenam concurred that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not properly notified of the convention as required by law.
The PDP group led by Kabiru Turaki, however, has now rejected the ruling and instructed its attorneys to appeal to the Supreme Court.
