Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle has led eight suspended members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly to meet President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, where they reportedly reaffirmed their support for the president and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The meeting took place on Sunday, October 18, 2026, following the lawmakers’ recent announcement that they were leaving the ruling party.
The lawmakers are Aliyu Ango Kagara, Ibrahim Tukur Bakura, Faruk Musa Dosara, Bashir Abubakar Masama, Muktaru Nasiru Kaura, Nasiru Abdullahi, Bashar Bello and Bashar Aliyu. According to a statement from Matawalle’s media aide, Ahmad Dan-Wudil, the legislators pledged to support Tinubu’s re-election bid and other APC candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The lawmakers had announced their resignation from the APC earlier in October, citing alleged injustice, divisions among party stakeholders in Zamfara and concerns over the handling of insecurity. They also raised concerns about unpaid salaries, allowances and other entitlements. Their meeting with Tinubu signals a reported reversal of their earlier decision to leave the party.
The eight lawmakers have been suspended from the state Assembly since February 26, 2024, over allegations of gross misconduct, conspiracy and holding an unauthorised sitting. Assembly Speaker Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki has maintained that the suspension arose from disciplinary issues and preceded their recent political decisions.
Although the meeting focused on renewed political support, it remains unclear whether the outstanding issues surrounding their suspension and other grievances have been resolved.