A former governor of Zamfara state, Abdulaziz Yarihe joined the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) along with some of his supporters from the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The chairman of the PDP in Zamfara state, Bala Mande, made it known to journalists in Gusau, the state capital, on Sunday afternoon.
Mande said the former governor would be joined by other APC bigwigs, including Kabiru Marafa, a former senator.
He said the party met with representatives of Yari’s APC faction and an agreement was reached.
“We met with our members today,” said Mande, who was a military governor. “And I informed them that the immediate former governor of the state, Abdulaziz Yari, and all his supporters, as well as other party bosses, agreed to go to the PDP.
“As I speak to you now, the deal has been sealed because you have agreed to join us and we have agreed to welcome you so that we can continue the process of saving the state. Your decision to join the PDP has certainly motivated us and will improve our chances of winning the elections in 2023,” said Mande.
Mr Yari and an endless crisis
Messrs. Yari and Marafa have remained opposed to current Governor Bello Matawalle, who came to power on the PDP platform but later defected to the APC.
His ascension was itself through a Supreme Court verdict that stated that the APC in the state failed to conduct proper primary elections following disagreement between Mr. Yari and a faction led by Mr. Marafa.
In 2021, Matawalle left for the APC, an event that unsettled Yari and his supporters.
His deputy, Mahdi Ali, the member of the House of Representatives representing Talata Mafara/Anka, Kabir Yahaya; and some other top officials in his administration, however, remained in the PDP.
Lieutenant Governor Ali was finally charged earlier this year.
Yari has been protesting the dissolution of the APC executive council by the party’s former interim president, Mai Mala Buni. He later created a parallel faction of the party in the state.
Mr. Marafa’s faction also held a parallel congress, but the APC’s national body recognized executives produced by Mr. Matawalle’s faction.
Mr. Yari competed for the position of national president of APC at the party’s recently concluded convention. He later resigned after former governor Abdullahi Adamu was chosen as the consensus candidate for the job.
He could not be reached for comment on Sunday afternoon for this story. His known phone number was unable to connect the several times he was called.