Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has refuted reports that he plans to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), vowing instead to crush his predecessor, Bello Matawalle, again at the 2027 polls, even early on the election day.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, Lawal reaffirmed his commitment to the PDP and brushed aside any notion of a political switch.
“I’m still in the PDP, and I have no intention of going anywhere for now,” the governor said.
Dismissing speculations of defections, Lawal said the opposition’s “overtures” were mere distractions.
He pointed out that the same alliance of political bigwigs couldn’t stop him in 2023 and wouldn’t stop him now.
“When I contested in 2023, all these forces were there—Sani Yerima, Mahmuda Aliyu Shinkafi, Abdulaziz Yari, Matawalle—they were all in APC, and I still won. I’m not afraid of them in 2027. Power comes only from God,” he stated.
Addressing reports that the current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, may contest again in 2027, Lawal said he was not losing any sleep over it.
“I’m praying to God that Matawalle emerges the APC candidate in 2027. Let’s see what happens. By 10 a.m. on election day, it should be a walkover, InshaAllah.
“I don’t see him as a threat in any way. I won’t lose sleep over Matawalle,” he added.
He questioned what Matawalle had done differently since losing power that would change his political fate. “What has he done differently that he didn’t do before?” he asked.
As of press time, Matawalle had yet to respond to the governor’s remarks.
On the recent crisis within the PDP and the wave of defections to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Lawal played it down, saying no party in Nigeria was immune to internal wrangling.
“There’s no political party today that doesn’t have one form of crisis or another. The PDP is not an exception,” he said.
He noted that the party was actively working to resolve its internal issues, with a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for July 23.
“We’re ready and committed. In fact, it’s better for some of these people to leave, so we can rebuild a stronger party,” Lawal added.
He maintained that the PDP’s challenges wouldn’t affect his reelection bid in Zamfara, recalling that the same conditions existed in 2023 when he ousted the APC government.
“It was the same scenario that played out in 2023. With all the forces the APC had, I still emerged as governor,” he said.
Lawal expressed optimism that the PDP would present a strong presidential candidate in 2027.
“We’re not scared of anybody. While some people are leaving, others are joining the party,” he concluded.
