By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa
The Zamfara State government has announced that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is aiming to register an additional 400,000 members in the state during the ongoing e-membership registration drive.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Abubakar Nakwada, made the announcement on Tuesday, urging all residents to participate actively in the exercise. He framed the registration target as a key step in consolidating the party’s position following a major political development: the defection of Governor Dauda Lawal from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mr. Nakwada described the governor’s move to the APC as a significant boost for the party, raising hopes for victory in the 2027 general elections.
“We target 400,000 additional progressive members from Zamfara in the next 17 days,” Mr. Nakwada stated. “The APC membership e-registration will reopen tomorrow. I, therefore, urge residents of the state to come out en masse to register to surpass the 400,000 target.”
The SSG’s call to action comes just a day after Governor Lawal formally announced his departure from the PDP. The governor, through his deputy, Mani Mummuni, confirmed the decision in Gusau on Monday, stating it followed extensive consultations with stakeholders.
According to Mr. Nakwada, the governor’s defection was necessitated by the “irreconcilable internal crisis” plaguing the PDP. He elaborated that the decision was the outcome of a high-level stakeholders’ meeting chaired by the state’s deputy governor.
The process was initiated after Governor Lawal launched a statewide engagement committee, led by elder statesman Alhaji Salihu Mai Buhu-Gummi. The committee was tasked with charting the state’s political future amid the PDP’s deepening crisis and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) looming deadlines for the 2027 elections.
“The majority of the stakeholders advised the governor to join APC, citing the need for unity and the interest of bringing development to the state,” the SSG explained.
He added that the decision was made after careful consideration of collective input and the urgent need for elite consensus to effectively tackle the state’s persistent security challenges.
Mr. Nakwada confirmed that all executive members and political appointees in the Zamfara State government are in full support of Governor Lawal’s decision to join the APC.
