By: John Bassey, Zamfara.

The Government of Zamfara State, under the leadership of Dr. Dauda Lawal, has expressed excitement about the historic test run of the maiden flight at Gusau International Airport.

The Government also directed all council members and other appointees who wish to run for political office in the 2027 general elections to resign.

This was contained in a statement issued by Comrade Suleiman Bala Idris, the Spokesperson to Governor Dauda Lawal, to Journalists in Gusau.

The statement confirmed that the first test flight landed at the Gusau International Airport at exactly 4:30 pm on Sunday.

He added that the aircraft, a Bombardier Challenger 605, was operated by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The statement read in parts, “Today will remain a historic day in the history of Zamfara State as Governor Lawal witnessed the landing of the maiden flight at the Gusau International Airport.

“The aircraft with registration 5N-FGZ performed a one-off test to assess the airport’s capability for VIP movements scheduled next week.

“The test flight is in accordance with the provisions of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig. CARs) Part 12.1.4.1(c).

“Before the test flight, the state government requested permission from the NCAA, and the Authority granted a one-off ‘No Technical Objection’ (NTO) for the Aircraft to land in Gusau.

“The flight operation was conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), which was strictly from sunrise to sunset.

“The historic test flight has significantly boosted Governor Lawal’s administration’s reputation, especially since Zamfara has lacked an airport since its creation over 30 years ago.

Also, the Executive Governor of Zamfara state, Dr. Dauda Lawal, issued a directive on Monday during the State Executive Council meeting at the Government House in Gusau, directing all political appointees vying for elective positions to resign.

Accordingly, the directive aligns with the Electoral Act, signed into law by the President, and INEC’s release of the 2027 election timetable.

“Today, Governor Dauda Lawal presided over the 64th Executive Council Meeting, where critical issues were deliberated for the development of Zamfara State.

“In his opening remarks, the governor directed that all council members vying for political offices should resign on or before the 31st of March 2026.

“The governor instructed the Secretary of the State Government to issue a circular to all political appointees aspiring for elective offices, requiring them to resign from their appointments before the due date.

“The Head of Service is directed to issue the same to all Civil Servants who nurse the aspiration to contest an election.”

Governor Lawal reiterated his administration’s commitment to serving the people of Zamfara State.