GUSAU — Eight Zamfara lawmakers who quit the All Progressives Congress (APC) over what they called injustice say they have not yet decided whether to return to the party, even after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

Their leader, Aliyu Ango Kagara, said the group went to the Presidential Villa on Sunday at the invitation of the President, after the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, arranged the visit. He said some members were at first reluctant to go but attended out of respect.

According to Kagara, the President said he wanted to hear their side because he had received conflicting accounts of the crisis. He said the lawmakers never told Tinubu they had rejoined the APC, and that the President promised to invite the other faction and Governor Dauda Lawal to a meeting.

Kagara accused the governor of not doing enough to tackle insecurity in the state and rejected a claim by some state Assembly members that the government had recorded "89 per cent" success on security. He said the lawmakers' entitlements were secondary to the safety of the people they represent, and that their next step would be decided with their constituents.

The APC State Auditor, Yusuf Idris Gusau, who speaks for the Matawalle Political Standing Committee, described the minister's move as a step towards reconciliation to strengthen the party ahead of the elections.