PDP vs APC: Zamfara Deputy Governor, Eight Lawmakers Refuse To Defect With Matawalle

Reports have emerged revealing that Governor Bello Matawalle may not have the full backing of his government in his planned defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Naija News gathered that Matawalle, three senators, five members of the House of Representatives and 18 members of the state House Assembly have indicated interest to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

But the Deputy Governor, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, two members of the House of Representatives and six members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly are not likely to defect with the governor.

According to Daily Trust that the deputy governor, who is a son of a former National Security Adviser, General Aliyu Gusau, has told the governor that he is not ready to dump the PDP.

General Gusau is regarded as the father of the PDP in Zamfara State.

A source in Zamfara State Government House disclosed that the younger Gusau departed for Abuja to avoid the defection programme.

“The deputy governor has travelled to Abuja because he does not want to be part of our programme. He said he cannot dump his father for Matawalle. His father is the oracle of Zamfara PDP,” the source said.

Another source disclosed that the Sokoto scenario in 2019 is about to repeat itself when the state governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, dumped APC for PDP. The then Sokoto deputy governor, Aliyu Ahmed, stayed back in APC.

Efforts to get the deputy governor to speak on the matter through phone yielded no result as he did not pick his calls. Text messages sent to him were also not replied to.

A member representing Zurmi in the state assembly, Salihu Usman Zurmi, said he was still undecided on whether he would join APC or not.