Eight suspended members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly have dismissed reports that they are returning to the All Progressives Congress (APC), clarifying that their recent meeting with President Bola Tinubu focused on their suspension and unpaid entitlements.
The lawmakers made their position known through Ibrahim Tukur Bakura, who represents Bakura Constituency and serves as their spokesperson. He said none of the eight lawmakers had defected to the APC or promised to rejoin the ruling party.
According to Bakura, their visit to the Presidential Villa was intended to discuss the circumstances surrounding their suspension, outstanding entitlements and possible ways to resolve the dispute.
He described reports suggesting that the lawmakers had returned to the APC as false and misleading.
“Neither have we decamped to the APC nor promised to return to the 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 told journalists.
Zamfara Lawmakers Clarify Purpose of Tinubu Meeting
Bakura stressed that the meeting with Tinubu should not be interpreted as a decision to return to the APC. He said the lawmakers would communicate any formal decision to rejoin the party publicly.
“If we decide to return to the APC officially, I will personally call journalists and other important media houses and brief them,” he added.
His comments followed speculation about the lawmakers’ political future after their visit to the President in Abuja on Monday.
Matawalle Led the Lawmakers to the Presidential Villa
The eight lawmakers had recently resigned from the APC before meeting Tinubu. Their visit was led by the Minister of State for Defence and former Zamfara State Governor, Dr Bello Matawalle.
The meeting triggered reports that the lawmakers might be preparing to return to the ruling party. However, their spokesperson has now rejected that interpretation.
The lawmakers maintained that their immediate concerns were their suspension from the state assembly and their outstanding entitlements.
Their clarification leaves their future political affiliation uncertain, as Bakura said any decision to officially return to the APC would be announced directly to the media.
The development was reported by Channels Television.