2027 · GubernatorialAPC
Dauda Lawal & Mummuni Malam Mani
- Dauda Lawal’s role
- Candidate
- Race
- Zamfara
- Campaign status
- Active campaign record
No reviewed manifesto or campaign document with a source link is available here yet.
Current office
Dauda Lawal
Governor of Zamfara State
This term: 29 May 2023–present
THE PERSON- State
- Zamfara
- Country
- Nigeria
Current party · membership recordAll Progressives CongressAPCHow to reach
Each line shows where it comes from. A listed contact is not proof it is answered or current.
- Office address
- Not yet on record
- All Progressives Congress (APC) national secretariat: No. 40 Blantyre Street, Wuse II, Abuja, Nigeria. This is the party’s office, not this person’s.Suggest one
Public channelsX · @daudalawal_ (opens in a new tab)
Public life, in context
The record
over time.
Dauda Lawal (also styled Dauda Lawal Dare; INEC prints Lawal Dauda) is the Governor of Zamfara State since 29 May 2023 and the APC governorship candidate for the election of 6 February 2027, running with his deputy, Mani Malam Mummuni (INEC final list, 10 October 2026). Born on 2 September 1965 in Gusau, he studied political science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (BSc 1987, MSc 1992). He worked at the Agency for Mass…
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Dauda Lawal (also styled Dauda Lawal Dare; INEC prints Lawal Dauda) is the Governor of Zamfara State since 29 May 2023 and the APC governorship candidate for the election of 6 February 2027, running with his deputy, Mani Malam Mummuni (INEC final list, 10 October 2026). Born on 2 September 1965 in Gusau, he studied political science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (BSc 1987, MSc 1992). He worked at the Agency for Mass Mobilization (MAMSER) and Westex Nigeria in 1989, at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington from 1994 to 2003, and at First Bank of Nigeria from 2003, becoming an executive director (Public Sector, North) in 2012; Vanguard says he resigned in 2018. In 2016 the EFCC detained him over funds it linked to former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke. A Federal High Court ordered N9.08 billion forfeited in February 2017; the Court of Appeal set that aside in March 2020 and the Supreme Court dismissed the EFCC's appeal on 12 March 2021, and the Federal High Court in Lagos discharged and acquitted him on the related criminal charge on 7 October 2020 (reported by Daily Trust). He lost the 2018 APC governorship primary in Zamfara to Mukhtar Shehu Idris, moved to the PDP in May 2022 and won its governorship primary that year (23 September 2022 rerun, 422 votes), after courts nullified two primaries; the Supreme Court confirmed him as candidate on 6 March 2023. On 18 March 2023 he defeated incumbent Governor Bello Matawalle (APC), 377,726 votes to 311,976, and was sworn in on 29 May 2023. Matawalle and the APC challenged the result: the tribunal upheld it on 18 September 2023, the Court of Appeal nullified it in part on 16 November 2023, and the Supreme Court restored it on 12 January 2024. On 9 March 2026 he left the PDP for the APC, citing the PDP's legal and leadership crisis, and became the APC candidate by consensus on 21 May 2026.
01 → 02 → 03
What happened. What was said.
What the evidence establishes.
Start with the questionsWhat should
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citizens know?
Read the role, the response and the outcome together.
Seeking public office
The campaign on record.
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A life in the public record.
23 linked entries · 29 distinct source links
Review dates are separate from event dates.
23 entries · Whole record
1965
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEarly lifeProfile record
Born
Dauda Lawal was born on 2 Sept 1965.
1984
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
BSc Political Science · Political Science
- Location
- Zaria, Kaduna State
- Institution
- University
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
1989
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
Assistant General Manager
Westex Nigeria Limited
- Industry
- Private sector
- Employment
- Employee
Joined the company in 1989 (Vanguard, 28 March 2023). End year not found.
Working lifeReviewed record
Political Education Officer
Agency for Mass Mobilization for Social and Economic Reliance Nigeria (MAMSER)
- Industry
- Public sector
- Employment
- Employee
Began his working career in 1989 as a political education officer with the agency (Vanguard, 28 March 2023). End year not found.
Education & qualificationsReviewed record
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
MSc Political Science/International Relations · Political Science / International Relations
- Location
- Zaria, Kaduna State
- Institution
- Masters
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
1994
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
Assistant Consular Officer (Immigration)
Embassy of Nigeria, Washington, DC
- Industry
- Diplomatic service
- Employment
- Employee
Appointed in 1994 and held the post for six years (Vanguard, 28 March 2023).
2000
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
Chief Protocol Officer
Embassy of Nigeria, Washington, DC
- Industry
- Diplomatic service
- Employment
- Employee
Chief Protocol Officer from 2000 until he returned to Nigeria in 2003 (Vanguard, 28 March 2023).
2003
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
Relationship Manager, rising to Executive Vice President, Public Sector (North)
First Bank of Nigeria Plc
- Industry
- Banking
- Employment
- Employee
Joined in 2003 as a relationship manager; senior manager (Abuja Area Office) and other management posts; promoted executive vice president, Public Sector (North), in 2011 (Leadership, 22 October 2025).
2012
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
Executive Director, Public Sector (North)
First Bank of Nigeria Plc
- Industry
- Banking
- Employment
- Employee
Board member and executive director from 2012; still an executive director in January 2017 (Premium Times). Vanguard (28 March 2023) says he resigned in 2018; that end year rests on one source.
2018
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDParty primaryReviewed record
2018 Governorship primary
All Progressives Congress · Zamfara
- Primary result
- Lost
- What this establishes
- A party-stage result, not election to public office
- Recorded winner
- Mukhtar Shehu Idris
APC governorship primary, Zamfara (for the 2019 election). Lawal, then a First Bank executive director, contested and lost to Mukhtar Shehu Idris (Vanguard, Leadership, FIJ); the date and vote count were not found. Daily Trust reports that the Zamfara APC governorship primary that produced Idris was later nullified by the Supreme Court (24 May 2019).
2022
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDParty primaryReviewed record
2022 Governorship primary
Peoples Democratic Party · Zamfara
- Primary result
- Won
- What this establishes
- A party-stage result, not election to public office
- Votes
- 422
- Vote share
- 99.53%
- Recorded winner
- Dauda Lawal
PDP governorship primary, Zamfara (for the 2023 election), after joining the PDP in May 2022. First primary 25 May 2022: Lawal 431 votes, Ibrahim Shehu 5, Wadatau Madawaki 3 (Daily Trust); the Federal High Court in Gusau nullified it in September 2022 on a suit by aspirant Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau. Rerun on Friday 23 September 2022: Lawal 422 votes, Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau 1, Hafiz…
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PDP governorship primary, Zamfara (for the 2023 election), after joining the PDP in May 2022. First primary 25 May 2022: Lawal 431 votes, Ibrahim Shehu 5, Wadatau Madawaki 3 (Daily Trust); the Federal High Court in Gusau nullified it in September 2022 on a suit by aspirant Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau. Rerun on Friday 23 September 2022: Lawal 422 votes, Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau 1, Hafiz Nahuche 1 (Daily Trust); percentage is 422 of 424 votes cast, computed. The same court nullified the rerun in November 2022 and ruled the PDP had no candidate; the Court of Appeal (Sokoto) reinstated Lawal on 6 January 2023 and the Supreme Court dismissed Shehu-Gusau's appeal on 6 March 2023.
2023
IN THE PUBLIC RECORD Electoral caseDismissed
The record
Governorship election challenge
Read the full case title
Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau's challenge to the PDP's 2022 Zamfara governorship primary won by Dauda Lawal: dismissed by the Supreme Court on 6 March 2023
- Role in this matter
- Respondent
- Record type
- Adjudicated
- Court / authority
- Federal High Court (Gusau); Court of Appeal (Sokoto); Supreme Court
Being named in a court record does not by itself establish wrongdoing. A claimant, respondent and legal representative have different roles.
Response on record
No separate response is linked. Read the court outcome and the original sources for the full account.
Last documented outcome
Dismissed
Aspirant Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau, backed by two other aspirants in a second suit, challenged the PDP primary of 25 May 2022 (sued June 2022). The Federal High Court in Gusau nullified it in September 2022; Lawal won the rerun on 23 September 2022; the same court nullified the rerun in November 2022 and ruled the PDP had no candidate. The Court of Appeal (Sokoto) reinstated him on 6 January 2023 and a five-judge Supreme Court panel unanimously dismissed Shehu-Gusau's appeal on 6 March 2023 (lead judgment: Justice Inyang Okoro).
Dated entries in this matter 1 entry
- Outcome recorded · Dismissed
Aspirant Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau, backed by two other aspirants in a second suit, challenged the PDP primary of 25 May 2022 (sued June 2022). The Federal High Court in Gusau nullified it in September 2022; Lawal won the rerun on 23 September 2022; the same court nullified the rerun in November 2022 and ruled the PDP had no candidate. The Court of Appeal (Sokoto) reinstated him on 6 January 2023 and a five-judge Supreme Court panel unanimously dismissed Shehu-Gusau's appeal on 6…
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Aspirant Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau, backed by two other aspirants in a second suit, challenged the PDP primary of 25 May 2022 (sued June 2022). The Federal High Court in Gusau nullified it in September 2022; Lawal won the rerun on 23 September 2022; the same court nullified the rerun in November 2022 and ruled the PDP had no candidate. The Court of Appeal (Sokoto) reinstated him on 6 January 2023 and a five-judge Supreme Court panel unanimously dismissed Shehu-Gusau's appeal on 6 March 2023 (lead judgment: Justice Inyang Okoro).
Election participationReviewed record
2023 Governorship election
Peoples Democratic Party · Zamfara
- Result
- Won
- Votes
- 377,726
- Recorded winner
- Dauda Lawal
Zamfara governorship election of 18 March 2023, PDP candidate with running mate Mani Mallam Mummuni. INEC declared him winner on 21 March 2023 with 377,726 votes against 311,976 for incumbent Governor Bello Matawalle (APC); he won 10 of 14 LGAs; NRM 2,416, Labour Party 573. Total valid votes were not found, so no percentage is stored. The result was challenged by Matawalle and…
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Zamfara governorship election of 18 March 2023, PDP candidate with running mate Mani Mallam Mummuni. INEC declared him winner on 21 March 2023 with 377,726 votes against 311,976 for incumbent Governor Bello Matawalle (APC); he won 10 of 14 LGAs; NRM 2,416, Labour Party 573. Total valid votes were not found, so no percentage is stored. The result was challenged by Matawalle and the APC: upheld by the tribunal (18 Sep 2023), nullified in part by the Court of Appeal (16 Nov 2023), and affirmed by the Supreme Court (12 Jan 2024). Sworn in 29 May 2023.
ElectedProfile record
Governor
Zamfara
- Status
- Current term
- Party on this record
- APC
- Term
- Zamfara Governorship Cycle 2023-2027
2025
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDHonours & recognitionReviewed record
Leadership Governor of the Year 2025
Awarded by Leadership newspaper; its write-up was published 22 October 2025.
- Awarded by
- Leadership Newspapers
- Category
- Governor of the Year
An award records recognition; it is not an independent measure of performance.
2026
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDParty membershipReviewed record
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Moved from PDP to APC on 2026-03-09.
Current affiliation in the reviewed membership record.
Party primaryReviewed record
2027 Governorship primary
All Progressives Congress · Zamfara
- Primary result
- Won
- What this establishes
- A party-stage result, not election to public office
- Recorded winner
- Dauda Lawal
INEC final list of candidates (Governorship, Zamfara State), published 2026-10-10 — SN 4; INEC name: LAWAL DAUDA; age 61; male; qualification (as declared to INEC): BS.c; running mate: Mummuni Malam Mani · 2026 APC primary: Governor Dauda Lawal, who moved from the PDP to the APC on 9 March 2026 (formal reception by Vice President Shettima in Gusau on 24 March 2026), emerged as…
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INEC final list of candidates (Governorship, Zamfara State), published 2026-10-10 — SN 4; INEC name: LAWAL DAUDA; age 61; male; qualification (as declared to INEC): BS.c; running mate: Mummuni Malam Mani · 2026 APC primary: Governor Dauda Lawal, who moved from the PDP to the APC on 9 March 2026 (formal reception by Vice President Shettima in Gusau on 24 March 2026), emerged as the APC governorship candidate by consensus on 21 May 2026, reported as a ward-level endorsement by party members (Channels Television, 21 May 2026); Premium Times (23 June 2026) adds that four former governors, including Bello Matawalle, endorsed him at the Gusau Trade Fair ground. No vote count was published; no rival claimant or parallel primary was found. In February 2026 the state APC denied a rumour that another figure had been picked, saying candidates would come through primaries. Running mate: the sitting deputy governor, Mani Malam Mummuni, retained on or before 23 July 2026 (Daily Post). INEC prints the names surname-first (LAWAL DAUDA, MUMMUNI MALAM MANI); the press also uses "Dauda Lawal Dare". The qualification and name cells on the INEC PDF were checked with pdftotext -bbox: no split error.
Dates not recorded
KEPT OUTSIDE THE DATED CHRONOLOGYParty membershipReviewed record
All Progressives Congress (APC)
APC member when he contested the 2018 APC governorship primary in Zamfara and lost; left for the PDP, reported 23 May 2022 (Daily Post). Joining date not found.
Education & qualificationsReviewed record
Harvard Business School
Executive course
- Location
- Boston, USA
- Institution
- Program
Whether the qualification was completed is not recorded.
Education & qualificationsReviewed record
Lagos Business School
Executive course
- Location
- Lagos
- Institution
- Program
Whether the qualification was completed is not recorded.
Education & qualificationsReviewed record
London School of Economics
Executive course
- Location
- London, UK
- Institution
- Program
Whether the qualification was completed is not recorded.
Education & qualificationsReviewed record
Oxford University Business School
Executive course
- Location
- Oxford, UK
- Institution
- Program
Whether the qualification was completed is not recorded.
Party membershipReviewed record
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Joined the PDP from the APC around 22-23 May 2022 (Daily Post, 23 May 2022; exact day not found), won its governorship tickets in 2022, was elected governor on it in 2023, and left on 2026-03-09 for the APC. The stored start date is blank because the earlier record had no joining date.
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Asset disclosures
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Spending & project delivery
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The Zamfara State purse
As Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal presides over Zamfara State's public finances.
Zamfara State's approved budget for 2026 is ₦871,337,000,000 (about ₦871.3B).
Zamfara State budget 2026Zamfara State received ₦115,660,815,862 (about ₦115.7B) in FAAC federal allocations between January and July 2026.
Zamfara State FAAC allocations 2026Help improve the record
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Representatives in this area
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