A frontline aspirant for the Zamfara North Senatorial District under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has formally petitioned the party’s National Chairman, accusing key political figures in Zamfara State of imposing Senator Sahabi Alhaji Yau as the sole senatorial aspirant ahead of the party primaries.
In a strongly worded appeal dated May 20, 2026, and addressed to the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, Shinkafi alleged that the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, alongside former governors Ahmed Rufai Sani (Yariman Bakura), Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi, and Governor Dauda Lawal, orchestrated his exclusion from the Zamfara North senatorial primary election.
The APC aspirant described the alleged action as “impunity, injustice and a flagrant disregard” for the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and the APC constitution.
Shinkafi claimed that on May 18, 2026, Matawalle arrived in Gusau with political stakeholders and allegedly announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed all senate aspirants to step down for serving senators in the APC primaries scheduled for May 19.
According to him, there was no consultation or meeting involving aspirants before the alleged directive was communicated.
He argued that the move violated Sections 84 to 87 of the Electoral Act 2026, which provide for direct primaries or consensus arrangements backed by the written consent of all cleared aspirants.
Shinkafi maintained that he never withdrew from the race, did not sign any agreement endorsing a consensus candidate, and was never invited to any meeting concerning such arrangements.
“I did not withdraw from the senatorial race, did not write any letter that I stepped down, and did not make any private or public statement that I withdrew from the primary,” he stated.
The aspirant warned that the alleged imposition of candidates could jeopardize APC’s chances in Zamfara State during the forthcoming general election, drawing parallels with the party’s 2019 crisis which led to the Supreme Court nullifying APC victories in the state over flawed primaries.
He described the current development as “political suicide” and “an assault on democracy,” adding that the actions of party leaders in the state could trigger another internal crisis capable of weakening the APC politically.
Shinkafi also alleged that political thugs were mobilized to disrupt the senatorial primaries and facilitate what he termed an “illegal consensus.”
The APC chieftain disclosed that he has directed his supporters not to participate in what he called an “undemocratic affirmation process” and vowed to challenge his exclusion in court.
“This injustice shall not stand. I will challenge my exclusion from Zamfara North Senatorial Primary in the Court of Law,” he declared.
Copies of the petition were also sent to the Chairman of the APC Senate Primary Election Committee.