Why 8 Suspended Lawmakers Staged A Return 

It was not a reunion pushed by loyalty. It was a return dictated by survival, entitlements and the shifting energy equation in Zamfara forward of the 2027 normal elections.

The eight suspended members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly who resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) two weeks in the past citing insecurity and extended suspension with out pay, have returned to the centre of nationwide politics.

They had been led to the Presidential Villa on Monday by the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle, to fulfill President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The affected lawmakers are Aliyu Ango Kagara (Talata Mafara South), Ibrahim Tukur Bakura (Bakura), Faruk Musa Dosara (Maradun I), Bashir Abubakar Masama (Bukkuyum North), Muktaru Nasiru Kaura (Kaura North), Nasiru Abdullahi (Maru North), Bashar Bello (Bungudu West) and Bashar Aliyu (Gummi I).

A assertion by Matawalle’s media aide, Ahmad Dan-Wudil, stated the lawmakers reaffirmed their loyalty to the APC and to President Tinubu and pledged to be built-in into the Tinubu Again Movement (TAM).

Why They Left

The lawmakers had been first suspended on February 26, 2024, by Speaker Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki over allegations of gross misconduct, conspiracy, contempt of the House, unlawful sitting and forceful entry into workplaces of the Clerk and Sergeant-at-Arms. Their suspension was prolonged on May 13, 2026.

The Assembly management additionally instituted legal proceedings in opposition to them, resulting in issuance of arrest warrants.

Five of the lawmakers had been elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) within the 2023 elections earlier than defecting to the APC alongside Matawalle in 2021, whereas three had been elected on the APC platform. Their suspension stripped them of salaries, allowances and different entitlements for over 30 months.

They additionally accused Governor Dauda Lawal of ignoring their movement on worsening insecurity in constituencies which have remained hotspots of banditry together with Maru, Anka, Bukkuyum, Maradun and Gummi.

Their resignation from APC earlier this month adopted Governor Lawal’s defection from PDP to APC in March, a transfer that altered the stability of energy within the Zamfara APC, already divided amongst Matawalle, former Governor Abdulaziz Yari and now Lawal.

APC chieftain, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, had dismissed claims that the eight had been allies of Senator Yari, describing such experiences as sponsored and mischievous.

Why The U-Turn

Presidential Intervention:
Sources near the Villa assembly stated President Tinubu opted for reconciliation, urging amicable decision of the Assembly disaster. The photo-op on the Villa immediately reframed them from rebels to stakeholders.

Entitlements And Mobility:
Immediately after the assembly, Matawalle gifted every of the eight lawmakers a car. For lawmakers with out legislative revenue since 2024 and who had fled the state, the present and the promise to push for fee of entitlements was decisive.

No Viable Alternative:
The lawmakers had been extensively tipped to hitch the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Nasiru Abdullahi of Maru North was reportedly screened beneath ADC. But ADC lacks the federal leverage to barter lifting of suspension and recall. The APC stays the one platform with that capability.

2027 Calculation:
For Matawalle, integrating eight lawmakers controlling eight constituencies into TAM strengthens his construction in opposition to Governor Lawal in a celebration he as soon as led. For the lawmakers, staying outdoors the ruling get together at each state and federal ranges quantities to political exile.

The Denial

Despite Matawalle’s announcement, the lawmakers have denied returning to the APC.

Speaking solely to LEADERSHIP, their spokesman, Ibrahim Tukur Bakura, stated experiences of their return had been false.

“Neither have we decamped to APC nor promised to return to APC. What took us to the Villa was to discuss the problem of why we were suspended, our pending entitlements and how to resolve it,” Bakura stated.

“If we decide to return to the APC officially, I will personally call Leadership and other important media houses and brief them.”

The denial, observers say, is tactical — to first safe dedication on fee of entitlements and recall earlier than a proper declaration, with a purpose to keep away from the notion of being purchased over with automobiles.

For now, Zamfara’s suspended eight stay out of the Assembly however again within the energy loop — awaiting whether or not presidential intervention will translate to legislative reinstatement.