By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna An aspirant for the Zamfara North Senatorial seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr...
By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
An aspirant for the Zamfara North Senatorial seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has accused the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of undermining democracy in the state by allegedly imposing candidates ahead of Tuesday’s senatorial primaries.
In a statement signed and made available to newsmen, Shinkafi alleged that Matawalle arrived in Zamfara alongside former and serving governors, claiming that President Bola Tinubu had directed all senatorial aspirants to step down for serving senators.
He said the alleged directive was issued without consultation and contradicted earlier public statements by both the President and the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, on adherence to democratic processes.
“This impunity, injustice, and flagrant disregard for the APC Constitution and the Electoral Act 2026 shall not stand,” Shinkafi said. “I will challenge my unlawful exclusion in court.”
He described the development as “political banditry” and warned that it could jeopardise the APC’s chances in Zamfara State during the 2027 general election.
Citing Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2026, Shinkafi said political parties are required to conduct primaries either through direct voting or consensus, with the process monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He maintained that he had neither withdrawn from the race nor submitted any resignation letter, adding that he had not agreed to any consensus arrangement.
The aspirant also directed his supporters in Zamfara North to stay away from what he described as an “undemocratic affirmation” of preferred aspirants, alleging that political thugs had been mobilised to disrupt the primaries.
Shinkafi drew parallels with the events of 2019, when the Supreme Court nullified all APC primaries in Zamfara over internal disputes arising from alleged candidate imposition, leading to the declaration of winners from the party that came second in the election.
“History is about to repeat itself with the unlawful exclusion of aspirants for the Senate,” he said.
Shinkafi, a former governorship candidate in Zamfara State and former National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), also serves as a patron of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council 2023.
He urged the party leadership to strictly adhere to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and the APC Constitution to avoid a repeat of the 2019 outcome, which he said resulted in the APC losing all elective positions in the state, including the governorship seat.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Minister’s office were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
No comments