Zamfara IPAC Suspends State Elections Amid Crisis and Physical Clashes
The Zamfara State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has officially suspended its state elections following a severe crisis that escalated into physical confrontations among members. The disruption occurred on Saturday, triggered by deep-seated disagreements over the alleged unconstitutional conduct of the electoral process, with some members vehemently opposing the exercise.
Root Causes of the Dispute
Aggrieved stakeholders have placed blame on the IPAC national secretariat for its failure to resolve lingering disputes before proceeding with the elections. They highlighted that several political parties involved in the process are currently factionalised and entangled in legal battles before courts and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This unresolved turmoil created a volatile environment that ultimately led to the suspension.
Allegations from Political Leaders
Alhaji Mahmud Garba, the Zamfara State Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), argued strongly that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should have been disqualified from participating in the elections. According to Garba, the PDP lacks a unified leadership structure in the state due to internal divisions at the national level.
"The PDP, for instance, has no leadership in the state, and there is crisis at the national level with various factions. Yet the party presented candidates for the election—under which faction?" he queried. Garba further alleged that many PDP leaders in Zamfara had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), effectively weakening the party's structure.
He also claimed that the candidate presented by the PDP was no longer a member of the party, having defected alongside key loyalists. The PRP chairman insisted that elections should not proceed until the IPAC national leadership addresses these unresolved issues, warning that parties with pending court cases and internal crises should be disqualified.
Escalation and Suspension
The tension reached a boiling point, escalating into physical confrontation between aggrieved members and the electoral committee before order was eventually restored. Following the disruption, the electoral committee announced the suspension of the exercise, assuring stakeholders that a detailed report would be forwarded to the IPAC national headquarters for necessary action.
A new date for the elections will be communicated only after all underlying issues are thoroughly addressed and resolved. This suspension underscores the broader challenges facing political processes in Zamfara State, where internal party conflicts and legal entanglements continue to hinder democratic exercises.
