Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has told political office holders who are dissatisfied with his administration or believe they have not benefited from the government to resign from their positions.
Lawal made the statement on Sunday, October 4, 2026, during an All Progressives Congress stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Gusau, the state capital. The meeting followed complaints from political appointees, youths and women over alleged neglect and concerns about welfare within the party.
Responding to the complaints, the governor rejected claims that political office holders had received nothing from his administration and challenged those who remained dissatisfied to leave their appointments.
“There are some political officeholders who complain that they have not gotten anything. That is not true. Even among the commissioners, anyone who feels he is not getting anything should resign,” Lawal said, according to reports by the News Agency of Nigeria and other outlets.
The governor's remarks came at a politically significant time in Zamfara, with the APC already preparing for the 2027 general elections and facing internal disagreements among different political camps in the state.
Lawal told the stakeholders that his administration had spent its first three years concentrating primarily on governance, infrastructure development and efforts to restore relative peace, rather than placing its main emphasis on party politics.
“For three years, we have focused on governance. Now it is time to return to politics, because its time has come,” he said.
The governor also gave an account of his administration's infrastructure programme, saying available government data showed that projects worth more than N20 billion had been delivered in each of Zamfara's 14 local government areas over the past three years.
The claim was reported by NAN and repeated by several news organisations. However, the reports did not provide an independent breakdown of the projects or expenditure figures to substantiate the governor's assessment.
Lawal acknowledged that his administration had made mistakes in communicating some of its development activities. In particular, he said the government had failed to make public the names of contractors handling various projects.
He promised that the names of the contractors would be released, apparently as part of efforts to provide greater information about the projects being executed across the state.
The governor also addressed complaints surrounding empowerment and welfare among party members. He highlighted the contributions of several APC stakeholders, including House of Representatives members Abdulmalik Zannah, Ahmadu Mai-Palace, Aminu Jaji and Bello Hassan, whom he said had provided empowerment materials for residents, particularly young people.
Lawal said his administration had trained at least 3,000 youths in various skills. He added that transport fares had been provided and that graduates were receiving support intended to help them become self-reliant.
According to the governor, the government maintains a monthly register of beneficiaries of some of its support programmes.
Beyond welfare concerns, Lawal used the meeting to call for an end to factional politics within the Zamfara APC. He urged party members to stop identifying themselves primarily with individual political camps associated with current and former leaders.
“From today, please, let us stop the politics of so-and-so’s houses. Let us come together as one party with the same vision,” he said.
He specifically mentioned what he described as the politics of “Dauda’s house, Matawalle’s house or Shehi’s house”, referring to political camps associated with himself, former governor Bello Matawalle and another prominent political figure in the state.
Lawal urged party members to unite under one structure ahead of the next election cycle, saying political differences should not undermine the party's ability to operate as a single organisation.
The governor also disclosed plans to meet former governors of Zamfara in Abuja to discuss the composition of the APC campaign structure for the 2027 elections.
According to reports, the former governors he plans to meet include Ahmad Yarima, Mamuda Shinkafi, Abdulaziz Yari and Bello Matawalle. Lawal said the meeting would help harmonise positions and compile the list of members who would participate in the APC Campaign Council in Zamfara.
He also appealed to party members who might not be selected for campaign positions not to interpret their exclusion as a rejection by the party.
“Please, even if you don’t see your name, don’t think you are not important. By Allah’s grace, everyone is important; it’s just that not everyone can be included,” he said.
Lawal's comments came just as political tensions were becoming more visible within the state's APC. On the same day, eight members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly announced their resignation from the party, citing insecurity, alleged injustice and unpaid salaries and allowances.
One of the lawmakers, Aliyu Kagara, alleged that the legislators had gone 32 months without receiving salaries, allowances and other entitlements. The lawmakers also criticised the state government's handling of insecurity and said concerns raised by their constituencies had not received adequate attention.
The lawmakers' decision represents a separate political development from Sunday's APC stakeholders' meeting, although both events underscore tensions surrounding governance, party organisation and political representation in Zamfara.
Lawal, meanwhile, told the stakeholders that he had taken note of all the complaints raised during the meeting and promised that the government would develop measures intended to ensure broader participation and benefits.
“All the complaints have been noted. I have heard them, and I have taken note of them,” he said, according to the reports.
“We will come up with plans so that everyone will benefit, by the grace of Allah. Whoever has something in his heart should be patient,” the governor added.
The latest remarks are likely to remain part of the political conversation in Zamfara as the APC begins preparations for the 2027 elections. The governor's call for dissatisfied appointees to resign, his appeal for unity among competing party camps and the simultaneous defection of lawmakers from the APC all point to a period of heightened political activity in the state.
For now, Lawal has maintained that his administration's focus over the past three years has been governance and infrastructure, while urging party members to close ranks as political preparations intensify.
The governor's challenge to dissatisfied appointees was direct: those who believe they are not benefiting from the administration should resign, rather than remain in government while openly expressing dissatisfaction.
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