The Zamfara State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on Saturday suspended its state elections following a crisis that degenerated into physical confrontation among members.

The disruption was triggered by disagreements over the alleged unconstitutional conduct of the electoral process, with some members strongly opposing the exercise.

Aggrieved stakeholders blamed the IPAC national secretariat for failing to resolve lingering disputes before proceeding with the elections. They noted that some political parties involved in the process are factionalised and currently entangled in legal battles before courts and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The Zamfara State Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Alhaji Mahmud Garba, argued that the Peoples Democratic Party should have been disqualified from participating in the elections.

According to him, 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 the state had defected to the All Progressives Congress, 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 the unresolved issues, warning that parties with pending court cases and internal crises should be disqualified.
The tension escalated 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 report would be forwarded to the IPAC national headquarters for necessary action.

A new date for the elections will be communicated after the issues are addressed.