The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed reports of an internal crisis within the party, accusing chieftains Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi and former senator Kabiru Marafa of seeking attention and attempting to undermine party unity for personal gain.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the state publicity secretary, Yusuf Idris Gusau, described both men as driven by “envy, frustration, and anti-party tendencies,” insisting that the APC in Zamfara remains united under the leadership of key figures, including the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle.
Shinkafi, a member of the Tinubu–Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, had earlier urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, to intervene in what he called “widening divisions” within the party in Zamfara.
He warned that unresolved tensions among stakeholders could threaten the party’s chances ahead of the 2027 general elections.
However, Gusau dismissed Shinkafi’s claims, recalling that he found political refuge in Matawalle’s administration after losing relevance in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in 2019.
He alleged that instead of showing gratitude, Shinkafi had turned to maligning the former governor while courting the PDP-led state government.
On Marafa, Gusau stated that claims of him being forced out of the APC were false, adding that the former senator voluntarily left the party after failing to secure appointments.
“Having lost it all, Sani Shinkafi retreated to Zamfara seeking absorption from the PDP governor, even as he claims to be an APC member,” Gusau said.
“He felt the best way to gain attention was to start causing trouble for former governor and now Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, knowing that Governor Dauda Lawal sees Matawalle as a political threat.”
The APC maintained that there was no division within its ranks, stressing that the party “has never been as united in Zamfara as it is now.”
Gusau credited this unity to the collective efforts of Matawalle, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, Senator Ahmad Sani Yarima, and former governor Mamuda Shinkafi, among others.
“It was this unity that enabled the APC to overwhelmingly defeat the ruling PDP in the recent Kaura-Namoda South State Assembly by-election,” he said.
“We remain confident that despite the actions of detractors like Sani Shinkafi, Sani Jaji, and Kabiru Marafa, the APC is on course for a strong comeback in 2027.”
He added that the party would continue to consolidate its internal cohesion and ensure that “no stone is left unturned against those with ill motives toward the APC’s success and unity.”
