APC elders praise Tinubu and Matawalle as eight Zamfara lawmakers return
- A forum of northern APC elders says eight Zamfara assembly members have rejoined the ruling party.
- The group credits President Tinubu and Defence Minister Bello Matawalle for the reconciliation.
- It urges the party to settle other grievances before the 2027 elections.
A group of northern elders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) says eight members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly have come back to the ruling party, and it is giving the credit to President Bola Tinubu and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.
The Northern Elders of the APC Forum said in a statement on Tuesday that the lawmakers returned after talks led by Matawalle, a former Zamfara governor. According to Tribune, the minister later presented them to the President after they restated their loyalty to him and to the party.
The forum's chairman, Alhaji Yusuf Abubakar, said the President's backing for dialogue had helped bring the members back. He described Tinubu's role as fatherly and said it showed his commitment to holding the party together even with the demands of running the country.
"We equally commend the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, for his dedication, energy and efforts towards reconciling aggrieved members," Abubakar said.
Why it matters
Zamfara is one of the North-West states where the APC has been working to settle internal fights as politicians position themselves for the 2027 general elections. The forum argued that winning back sitting lawmakers strengthens the party's structure in the state and helps it organise support at the grassroots.
Matawalle governed Zamfara from 2019 to 2023 and remains a strong figure in the region. The elders said his involvement in the talks points to the value of consultation and steady engagement in keeping disagreements from splitting the party.
Still, the group warned that bringing back elected officials is only part of the job. In its statement, it asked party leaders to listen to members who still feel aggrieved so that the reconciliation does not stop with the eight lawmakers.
"Party unity must go beyond the return of elected officials; it must involve building trust and ensuring that every stakeholder has a sense of belonging," Abubakar said.
The forum appealed to stakeholders in the North, especially the North-West, to pursue genuine reconciliation and peaceful coexistence. It said a united APC would be in a better position to campaign for Tinubu's re-election in 2027 and to push for peace and development in the region.
What happens next
Whether the return holds will depend on how the party handles the complaints of other members in Zamfara and across the North-West. The forum wants that work to continue well beyond this week's announcement.
