Zamfara Speaker and 12 Lawmakers Exit PDP to Grant APC Total Control of State Assembly

Speaker Bilyaminu Moriki and 12 PDP members defect to APC, giving the ruling party a 24 seat sweep in the Zamfara State House of Assembly.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 26, 2026, 5:25 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from The Nation

A Seismic Shift in the Zamfara Legislative Landscape

The All Progressives Congress has achieved a total monopoly of the Zamfara State House of Assembly following the defection of Speaker Bilyaminu Moriki and 12 other members. During a plenary session in Gusau, the Speaker formally announced their exit from the People’s Democratic Party, bringing an end to the previous era of divided partisan loyalty within the chamber. With this move, the APC now commands all 24 seats in the state legislature, creating a rare political vacuum where the official opposition has effectively vanished from the parliamentary floor.

Aligning Legislative Will With Executive Direction

According to Speaker Moriki, the primary catalyst for this mass defection was the recent decision of Governor Dauda Lawal to abandon the PDP for the APC. The legislative leadership viewed their transition as a necessary step to ensure political synergy between the executive and legislative branches. Moriki stated that supporting the governor’s new political identity is essential for fostering a unified front that can better address the developmental needs of the state, suggesting that a divided government would only hinder progress in the current fiscal year.

The Breakdown of High Profile Parliamentary Defectors

The exodus includes the most influential figures within the Assembly’s leadership hierarchy. Alongside the Speaker, Deputy Speaker Adamu Aliyu of Gummi II, Majority Leader Bello Mazawaje of Tsafe East, and Chief Whip Rilwanu Nagambo of Anka have all tendered their resignations from the PDP. This coordinated departure indicates a strategic collapse of the former ruling party's structure in Zamfara, as these leaders carry significant political weight within their respective constituencies and the broader regional political machinery.