The Zamfara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly rejected allegations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Governor Dauda Lawal is sponsoring bandits in the state.

In a statement issued by PDP publicity secretary, Haliru Andi, the party described the APC’s accusation as baseless and hypocritical, accusing the opposition party of presiding over the “darkest years” of banditry in Zamfara’s history.

“No political party in the history of Zamfara has done more damage to the state than the APC,” the statement read.

“The party and its leaders openly dined and negotiated with bandits, granting them legitimacy while the people of Zamfara buried their loved ones.”

Andi said it was “laughable” that the APC — which he described as the architect of Zamfara’s insecurity — was now pretending to care about the plight of residents.

“Under APC’s Bello Matawalle, villages were sacked daily while government officials turned a blind eye. Billions of naira meant for security were looted while citizens were left at the mercy of criminals. APC leaders even attended meetings with bandit leaders instead of protecting innocent people,” he alleged.

He said Governor Dauda Lawal inherited “a monumental mess” from the APC administration but has since worked tirelessly to rebuild confidence, equip security agencies, establish the Community Protection Guards (CPG), and cut off political lifelines that sustained banditry.

“The Governor’s statement about knowing the locations of bandits was a frank demonstration of proactive leadership and readiness to provide intelligence for decisive action. APC’s attempt to twist this into propaganda only exposes their fear of a governor genuinely committed to ending the crisis they used as a political weapon,” he added.

The PDP urged Zamfara residents to ignore what it called APC’s “empty noise,” insisting that Governor Lawal remains focused on dismantling bandit networks and delivering peace, progress, and prosperity to the state. (Saturday Guardian)