Alleged Security Failures: Zamfara: PDP Assembly Candidate Kurya Switches to APC

Alleged Security Failures: Zamfara: PDP Assembly Candidate Kurya Switches to APC

Hon Muhammad Lawal Kuryar Madaro, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate who sadly lost the Kaura Namoda South State House of Assembly elections, has defected to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This is a significant political change in Zamfara State.

The move was announced today during a high-profile meeting organized by the Hon. Yazeed Shehu Danfulani Projects at Taula Arena in Gusau.

The defection comes a few months after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Kamilu Sa’idu of the APC the winner of the August by-election for the Kaura Namoda South constituency.

Returning Officer Lawal Sa’adu of the Federal University of Gusau confirmed Sa’idu’s triumph, with the APC candidate securing 1,181 votes to Kurya’s 194 in the run-off.

Overall, across the constituency, the APC amassed 8,182 votes to the PDP’s 5,544, highlighting the strong hold of the APC despite the high-stakes contest reportedly backed by a multi-billion naira war chest by PDP Governor Dauda Lawal.

Kurya was reportedly sponsored with billions in the last election by governor Dauda Lawal but faced rejection due to the governor’s failures.

Having switched to the APC, he expressed disillusionment with the direction of his former party and the leadership of Governor Lawal.

He harshly criticized the Lawal administration for losing focus, particularly on security, which he blamed on his election defeat and the wider instability plaguing Zamfara.

He, however, urged his followers to unite behind APC leader, Dr Bello Matawalle, Minister of Defence, in efforts to restore peace and progress.

The timing of Kurya’s change could signal further defections in Zamfara’s polarized political landscape, where banditry and inter-party rivalries continue to hold sway.