PDP denied me ticket to contest because I am physically challenged – Chieftain, Zurmi


The only Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) lawmaker in Zamfara State House of Assembly, Salish Zurmi has lamented that he was denied a ticket to contest the 2023 House of Representatives election because he is physically challenged.

In an interview with newsmen in Gusau, the state capital, Zurmi said while he was facing intimidation in the State House of Assembly because he refused to defect to APC with lawmakers, his party was also dealing with him because of his physical condition.

Zurmi said all the 23 state lawmakers decided to join the State Governor and defect to APC but he refused, saying that they were brought in as State lawmakers through the wings of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).

“Since then, the lawmakers have been treating anything concerning me with a mere wave of hands. They don’t even see me as a fellow lawmaker” he lamented.

Zurmi alleged that all the allowances being paid to the other 23 lawmakers have been denied him, even though his salary is intact.

He said, ”This is simply because I refused to decamp to the All Progressive Congress (APC), upon all the maltreatments, I refused to dump PDP.

The lawmaker lamented that he purchased a nomination and expression form to contest for Shinkafi/Zurmi Federal constituency in the Federal House of Representatives but the party in the State refused to allow him to contest, alleging that they anointed someone else on consensus.

“I even wrote to the National secretariat of the party, complaining of the injustice of the highest order but nothing was done until the time elapsed”

“But I will not dump PDP and I want the leadership of the party to know that there are serious injustices going on in the party both in the national and State levels”

“No member of the party has caught or challenged me against anti-party activities but they are doing everything negative to me because of my health condition”