PDP’s Dauda Lawal defeats Matawalle in Zamfara governorship election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Dauda Lawal, as the winner of the governorship election in Zamfara State.

The PDP candidate was declared the winner in Gusau, Zamfara state capital in the early hours of Tuesday with Lawal defeating incumbent governor, Bello Matawalle in what may be described as a huge upset.

The returning officer for the election, Professor Kashim Shehu, said Lawal polled a total number of 377,726 votes to defeat Matwalle of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored 311,976 votes.

“I, Kashim Shehu, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the 2023 general elections held on the 18th of March, 2023 in Zamfara state,” Shehu said.

“I also certify that Lawal Dauda of party PDP having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner and hereby returned governor-elect of Zamfara state.”

National Rescue Movement (NRM) candidate, Aliyu Dansadau, came a distant third with 2,416 votes while Ahmed Yahuza of the Labour Party (LP) got 573. The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) withdrew from the race earlier.

Zamfara State has 14 local government areas (LGA) out of which PDP’s Lawal won 10 while Matawalle of the APC won the remaining four.

Lawal won Anka, Bukkuyum, Shinkafi, Gusau, Tsafe, Gummi, Bungudu, Maru Kaura Namoda and Zurmi while Matawalle won Maradun, Talata Mafara, Birnin Magaji and Bakura local government areas.

Born on the 2nd of September 1965 in Gusau, the capital city of Zamfara State, the new governor-elect, Lawal graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in 1987 with B.Sc. in political science.

He obtained an M.Sc. in political science/international relations from the same university in 1992 and holds a PhD in business administration from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

He attended the London School of Economics, Harvard Business School, Oxford University Business School and Lagos Business School among others.

In the build-up to the 2023 General Elections, Lawal battled litigation on his nomination as PDP governorship candidate in Zamfara.

The supreme court annulled the primaries that produced him as a candidate. He emerged as the candidate after another primary election.