Gusau, Zamfara State, Nigeria – Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has welcomed Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Okay News reports that Keyamo, in a statement on Tuesday, described the governor’s return to the ruling party as a significant political moment, recalling Lawal’s earlier association with the APC before the 2019 general elections.
According to the minister, Lawal had initially sought to contest for the governorship of Zamfara State on the platform of the APC in 2019 but was denied the party’s ticket after internal disputes within the party.
Keyamo said he and other supporters had strongly backed Lawal’s ambition at the time and also defended him against what he described as persecution by political rivals.
“In the run-up to the 2019 elections, Dauda Lawal was in the APC and we did everything possible to secure the ticket for him to run as our candidate for the position of Governor of Zamfara State on the platform of the APC,” he said.
“He was cruelly denied that ticket and unjustly persecuted by rivals. We also rallied behind him to stop those persecutions.”
The minister added that the internal conflict among party members eventually weakened the APC in the state during that election cycle.
He further noted that Lawal later moved to the PDP ahead of the 2023 governorship election, where he secured the party’s ticket and won the election.
“Today, he makes a triumphal return to the progressive family as a sitting governor and leader of the party in Zamfara State,” Keyamo said.
He concluded by saying that the development shows that “destiny can be delayed, but not denied,” while welcoming the governor back to the APC.
