Zamfara: Eight Political Parties Dispute IPAC Leadership, Chairman Rejects Allegations

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

A coalition of eight political parties in Zamfara State has disputed the legitimacy of the leadership of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in the state, alleging that the current leadership was not produced through a constitutionally recognised process.

The coalition, led by the interim chairman, Ambassador Adamu Haruna Tsafe, made the position known on Saturday during a press conference in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital.

Tsafe, who is also the Zamfara State Chairman of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), said the coalition comprises the YPP, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Action Peoples Party (APP), Labour Party (LP), Action Alliance (AA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Action Congress (AAC) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

He alleged that the process through which some individuals emerged as IPAC leaders in the state was unconstitutional and said the eight parties were not part of the process.

> “We want to make it clear to the general public that, on behalf of the coalition of G8 political parties, the election that brought the so-called leadership of IPAC in Zamfara was not lawful. In fact, it was unconstitutional,” Tsafe said.

He added that the coalition had petitioned the IPAC national headquarters in Abuja and was awaiting a response.

Tsafe also dissociated the eight parties from a recent press conference organised by individuals who presented themselves as the state leadership of IPAC.

According to him, the coalition was not aware of the meeting and did not endorse the issues raised at the event.

He argued that IPAC was established as an advisory platform for political parties and should focus on promoting internal democracy and coordination among parties rather than condemning governments.

Tsafe further rejected allegations reportedly made against the Zamfara State Government, describing them as politically motivated.

He said the coalition was monitoring the administration’s developmental activities across the state and commended what he described as its support for security agencies in addressing insecurity.

However, the state IPAC Chairman, Sulaiman Bungudu, rejected the allegations and defended the legitimacy of the leadership.

Bungudu said the election that produced the current IPAC leadership was conducted lawfully by representatives of the national IPAC headquarters in Abuja.

He added that the process was conducted under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with security agencies and media practitioners also present.

“Our election was conducted by the national representative of IPAC headquarters, Abuja, under the supervision of INEC,” Bungudu said.

He called on the eight-party coalition to join the council and contribute to efforts aimed at strengthening democracy and political development in Zamfara State and Nigeria.

The disagreement has now created a fresh dispute over the leadership and representation of IPAC in Zamfara, with the coalition insisting that the current leadership lacks legitimacy, while Bungudu maintains that the election was valid and properly supervised.