According to Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, the Court of Appeal’s recent ruling regarding the PDP’s problem was a major factor in his choice to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Lawal, who recently quit the PDP, claimed that despite his attempts to encourage harmony among party members, it was getting harder to stay because of the ongoing legal disputes and internal conflicts inside the opposition party.
The governor clarified that his lengthy tenure in the party was ultimately terminated by the appeal court’s ruling on the PDP national convention in a statement released on Tuesday by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris.
The statement claims that before deciding to join the ruling APC, Lawal had previously conferred extensively with Zamfara State’s political players.
The statement stated, “Stakeholders in Zamfara state decided to join the All Progressives Congress amid the ongoing legal challenges faced by the Peoples Democratic Party.”
It stated that in order to maintain unity and get the party ready for next elections, the governor had continually strived to bring the various PDP groups together and had shown commitment to the party.
However, Idris claimed that attempts to end the conflict through out-of-court agreements and reconciliation failed, resulting in a protracted legal struggle that might have significant ramifications for party leaders prior to the 2027 elections.
Lawal was also referred to in the statement as “the last man standing” among PDP governors running for reelection.
According to Idris, “he was the only governor running for a second term who decided to stay, hoping that party leaders would demonstrate decorum and take appropriate action.”
He continued by saying that the governor had been apprised of the stakeholders’ request for him to defect to the APC during multiple meetings over the previous few weeks, but he had stated that he would make a final decision following the Court of Appeal’s ruling.
Governor Dauda Lawal’s tenure in the Peoples Democratic Party was terminated by the appellate ruling because he put Zamfara state’s interests first.
He stated, “He joined the All Progressives Congress to sustain the Zamfara Rescue and Rebuild mission.”
Recall that on Monday, the Federal High Court’s ruling prohibiting the PDP from conducting its national convention was affirmed by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
The appeal filed by the Taminu Turaki-led section of the party, which emerged from the Ibadan convention when members of its National Working Committee (NWC) were elected, and claimed leadership of the opposition party, was dismissed by the appellate court.
In addition, Turaki and other faction members were fined N2 million by the court.
The Turaki-led organization instructed its legal staff to submit an appeal at the Supreme Court right once in order to contest the decision.
