The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has warmly welcomed Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, back to the All Progressives Congress (APC), following the governor’s official defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday, March 9, 2026.
In a personal and reflective statement, Keyamo described the Governor as his bosom friend and shared a short story regarding the political hurdles Lawal faced years prior.
Keyamo recalled that in the lead-up to the 2019 elections, Lawal was an APC member whose bid for the governorship ticket was cruelly denied and unjustly persecuted by internal rivals.
”We (his friends) did everything possible to just secure the ticket for him,” Keyamo noted, adding that the resulting infighting among rivals eventually led to the APC losing all seats in Zamfara during that cycle.
Keyamo highlighted Lawal’s resilience, noting that after leaving for the PDP in 2023 to secure his mandate, he has now made a triumphal return as a sitting governor and the new leader of the APC in Zamfara State.
“Destiny can be delayed, but not denied,” Keyamo stated. “Welcome back home H.E, Governor Dauda Lawal.”
The Governor’s defection, which was formally announced by his deputy, Mani Mummuni, follows months of speculation and a major Court of Appeal ruling concerning the leadership crisis within the PDP.
With this move, Governor Lawal becomes the 31st governor under the APC banner, further consolidating the ruling party’s influence ahead of the 2027 general elections.