The Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Secretary to the Zamfara State Government (SSG), Malam Sulaiman Tudu, has dismissed concerns surrounding the defection of Bello Nakwada from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying there is no cause for alarm.
In a statement issued on Friday in Gusau, Tudu said the Secretary to the State Government, Malam Abubakar Nakwada, is unperturbed by his younger brother’s decision to join the APC.
According to him, political differences among family members are not unusual in Nigeria’s political landscape, citing prominent examples where relatives belong to opposing parties.
“Looking at our political terrain, this is not the first time family members have taken different political paths,” Tudu said, referencing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, whose son recently joined a rival political party.
He challenged the Zamfara APC to explain why Hon. Yahaya Yari, the younger brother of former governor and APC leader, Sen. Abdulaziz Yari, remains a member of the PDP.
Tudu accused the APC of deliberately framing the defection around the SSG in an attempt to exaggerate its political significance.
“Today, the Zamfara chapter of the APC issued a press statement trumpeting the defection of Bello Nakwada, trying to present it as a political turning point by linking it to the SSG,” he said.
He described the move as a calculated effort to divert attention from what he termed internal crises within the APC, adding that the defection would not have attracted attention without associating it with the SSG.
“The truth is that the decampee has no significant political weight. The APC is merely riding on the SSG’s profile to make the story newsworthy,” Tudu said.
He further noted that the development came at a time when several influential APC members were reportedly leaving the party to align with Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration.
According to him, those who recently defected to the PDP include a former APC State Chairman, Alhaji Lawali Makaman-Kaura, as well as youth leaders Jamilu Escape and Ramadan Mijinyawa, among others across the state.
Tudu said the APC’s attempt to portray the defection as a major political victory only exposed what he described as the party’s desperation to remain relevant.
He stressed that Nigeria’s democracy allows individuals the freedom to associate with any political party of their choice, noting that members of the SSG’s family are not exempt from this right.
“If any member of the SSG’s family does not align with Governor Dauda Lawal’s transformative agenda, that is purely their personal decision,” he said.
He, however, maintained that the SSG remains fully committed to his responsibilities and would not compromise his position for personal or political interests.
“The SSG is focused on supporting Governor Dauda Lawal in delivering good governance to the people of Zamfara and will not be distracted,” Tudu added.