Senator Ibrahim Lamido of Sokoto East District has announced he is set to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) over growing insecurity in his constituency. He cited persistent bandit attacks that have led to mass displacement and destruction of livelihoods across communities in Sabon Birni, Isa and Rabah. Speaking in Sokoto on Friday, Mr Lamido said the federal government's response to the crisis has been insufficient despite repeated appeals for intervention. He stated his decision was not influenced by personal or political ambition but by the need to represent the grievances of his constituents. Consultations with supporters, political associates and community leaders, he added, had led to a collective decision to seek a new political platform focused on security and grassroots development. While he did not disclose his next party, allies who recently defected from the APC are reportedly joining the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Mr Lamido emphasized that government has a fundamental duty to protect lives and property, warning that failure to act could worsen the humanitarian situation in Sokoto and other parts of northern Nigeria.
A sitting senator publicly walking away from the ruling party over insecurity signals deeper political fractures than any military operation can fix. Ibrahim Lamido's move reflects not just frustration in Sokoto East but a growing willingness among APC lawmakers to break ranks over policy failures. If defections like this multiply, the ruling party's grip on the north-west could weaken despite its control of security machinery. This is less about party loyalty and more about survival in a region where voters may soon punish all incumbents equally.
