By: John Bassey, Zamfara.
It is no longer news that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which prides itself as the governing political platform in Zamfara State, lost in the recent by-election for Kaura-Namoda South State Assembly Constituency.
The so-called governing party has been nursing the wound inflicted on it from that exercise, and there is no doubt that the pain will linger for long because the wound, as many followers of the political development in the state predicted, will not heal.
Before the poll, they boasted a landslide. “It will be a walkover,” they had assured their supporters. But the party and its leadership knew deep down the assurance was just another scam. They were aware that the scale was tilted against them; they were not and are still not on ground, and as expected, they got trounced, overwhelmingly so.
Not even the attack dogs they armed and deployed could save them from the resounding defeat in the hands of the people whose mandate they stole in 2023, and then betrayed by the administration’s failure to fulfill its promises of ending insecurity, bettering the standard of living of the people as well ensuring massive development at all fronts. The people were on a revenge mission during the by-election, and they vent their disillusionment with the government that has become nothing but a fraud.
It was a victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC), when the country’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared its candidate, Malam Kamilu Sa’idu, the winner of the poll after two spirited runs.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Lawal Sa’adu of the Federal University Gusau announced the results around 1:30 a.m. that fateful Thursday. According to him, the APC polled a total of 8,182 votes, while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) scored 5,543 votes from the nine wards in the constituency.
“Having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes, Kamilu Sa’idu of the APC is hereby declared winner and returned elected,” Sa’adu had announced
Before the APC’s victory, the initial election, which was held on Saturday, August 16, 2025, was declared inconclusive by INEC due to irregularities in five polling units in Sakajiki and Kyambarawa. A supplementary election was subsequently scheduled and conducted on Thursday, August 21, 2025, to conclude the process.
In the earlier results before the rerun, the APC was leading with 7,001 votes, while the PDP had 5,339 votes. Now, a look at what PDP got from the supplementary exercise showed just a few votes from what they had earlier-5,339 to 5,543, while APC got over a thousand.
The outcome indicated that the so-called ruling party in the state tried desperately to create anarchy in the affected area because it knew it would not make any headway. However, INEC and the heads of security agencies in the state acted promptly and decisively to halt the anomaly and shifted the exercise. This is why we must commend the umpire and security agencies for rising up to defend our democracy and electoral process.
It is imperative to note that the PDP has feared the outcome will not favour them due to the rising insecurity and worked behind the scene to shift the election date but their effort did not yield the desired result.
Recall that the same insecurity was their trump card used during the electioneering campaign in the run-up to the 2023 general elections with its then candidate, Dauda Lawal, who is now the incumbent governor, promising to end it in his first two to three weeks in office. But almost three years down the line, his action and inaction have further exacerbated the anomaly with recurring daily attacks, which always leave tales of deaths and destruction behind.
It is disheartening that instead of addressing the problem, Dauda Lawal is busy playing politics with it, blaming his supposed enemies while breeding thugs he unleashes at the slightest provocation.
The same thugs and the outlawed “yan sakai” in Community Protection Guards uniforms were unleashed during the just concluded by-election with arms, causing breach of peace in areas designated as the APC’s stronghold.
They commenced their onslaught on the eve of the exercise necessitating a formal protest by the APC, forcing the Commissioner of Police in the state to warn that only conventional security would be allowed to give security cover at the poll. Despite the CP’s warning, PDP still went on rampage, disrupting the process in all the polling units, leading to INEC declaring the election inclusive and fixing a rerun. More security personnel had to be deployed to the area of dispute before the rerun could take place and the winner emerged.
It is curious however, that despite this glaring audacity on the part of the PDP resulting in stringent measures to secure the process, the party through its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, could shamelessly accuse the APC of “militarizing” the election to “muzzle” the opposition.
“Available reports revealed that the Kaura Namoda South State Constituency bye-election held on Saturday, August 16, 2025 was marred by massive intimidation, threat and harassment of the voters by APC controlled security agencies,” he was quoted to have said.
How ridiculous. Having scuttled its attempt to create an atmosphere of anarchy and benefit from it, the PDP has resorted to playing the victim. But why will an Ologunagba care if Zamfara burns when the sitting governor has been busy chasing shadow at the detriment of the lives of his people?
What expected of the PDP National Publicity Secretary is to extend their party condolence to the people of the state on the inhuman slaughtering of 38 innocent people of Banga as APC did rather, he resorted to fabricating lies because people of the state are of no value except when it comes to election.
The PDP didn’t visit Zamfara for sympathy but visited the state for their 102nd PDP Governors forum meeting, danced irresponsibly at the government house without any sympathy to the victims and their relatives as if they were celebrating the daily loss of life and kidnapping in the state.
Many residents believe PDP is not after their plight but concerned about how to reposition itself to win elections come 2027 which was why even the communique they issued at the end of the meeting didn’t sympathise with people of Zamfara nor any signs of respect to the tradition of Islamic values which is the core but shamelessly danced away in their usual arrogance.
But Zamfara people will continue to curse the PDP which is the ultimate of our power and I believe many are waiting for 2027 which is just by the corner
What is fundamental is that the just-concluded byelection throws up a lot of insights and lessons. As a leader, you cannot fool your people forever; they will turn against you at your trying time. It also left a tell-tale sign that the PDP will hardly survive the next general election in the state; and above all, the poll’s outcome equally shows that APC still remains the dominant force in the state.
