Ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primaries scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Zamfara State, former governorship candidate and APC Zamfara North Senatorial aspirant, Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has accused the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of undermining democratic principles by allegedly orchestrating the exclusion of cleared aspirants in favour of “anointed candidates.”
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, May 18, 2026, Shinkafi described the development as “political banditry” and warned that the APC risks another legal and electoral crisis similar to the 2019 Zamfara political debacle that led to the nullification of all APC victories in the state by the Supreme Court.
According to Shinkafi, Matawalle arrived in Zamfara alongside former and serving governors in a private jet and allegedly informed aspirants that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed all senatorial aspirants to withdraw in favour of serving senators.
He argued that the alleged directive contradicted earlier assurances by President Tinubu and APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, that the party would uphold internal democracy and comply with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 in the nomination of candidates.
Citing Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2026, Shinkafi maintained that political parties are required to conduct valid primaries for all elective positions either through direct primaries or consensus arrangements reached through due consultation.
He insisted that no meeting or consultation was held with him or other aspirants regarding any consensus arrangement and stressed that he neither withdrew from the race nor authorised anyone to announce his withdrawal.
“I was never consulted or invited for any meeting on the so-called consensus arrangements. I did not withdraw from the senatorial race, did not write any letter stepping down and did not make any public or private statement withdrawing from the primary,” he stated.
Shinkafi warned that the alleged exclusion of aspirants could weaken the APC’s chances in the 2027 general elections in Zamfara State, accusing party leaders of repeating the mistakes that led to the party’s historic loss in 2019.
He recalled that the Supreme Court nullified APC primaries and victories in Zamfara after aggrieved aspirants challenged the conduct of the primaries in court, leading to the transfer of electoral victories to opposition parties.
“The current imposition of candidates by the APC is political banditry and proves to the nation that Bello Matawalle is a political bandit being the arrowhead of this assault on our democracy,” the statement read.
Shinkafi further alleged that political thugs and hoodlums had been mobilised to disrupt the primaries and pave the way for the affirmation of preferred candidates.
Consequently, he directed his supporters across the Zamfara North Senatorial District not to participate in what he described as an “undemocratic affirmation exercise,” urging them to remain calm and stay at home.
The APC chieftain also vowed to challenge his exclusion from the Zamfara North Senatorial Primary in court, insisting that the alleged injustice would not stand.
