A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has called on President Bola Tinubu and the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, to urgently wade into what he described as a growing crisis within the state chapter of the party.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Shinkafi warned that rising tensions and divisions among key APC stakeholders in Zamfara posed a serious threat to the party’s unity and future electoral chances. He said unless the national leadership steps in quickly to reconcile aggrieved members, the party may face internal collapse before the 2027 general elections.
According to him, Zamfara APC is deeply divided along factional lines, with personal rivalries among top figures continuing to weaken the party’s structure at the grassroots.
“I am appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and our National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, to urgently intervene in the growing crisis in Zamfara APC before it gets out of hand,” Shinkafi said.
“The party cannot afford another round of internal conflicts like we witnessed before the 2023 elections. If we do not act fast, the divisions will deepen and could cost us dearly in 2027.”
Shinkafi, who served as a member of the Tinubu–Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, said that the current infighting among leaders in Zamfara was capable of weakening the APC’s standing in the state and giving the opposition an upper hand.
He urged major figures, including the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, former governors Abdulaziz Yari and Ahmad Sani Yarima, as well as other stakeholders, to put aside their personal grievances and work together to rebuild the party’s base.
“It is important for all leaders, including former governors and serving ministers, to come together and rebuild the APC in Zamfara,” he said.
“We need cooperation, not competition, if the party is to move forward. A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Shinkafi said his appeal was motivated by concern for the future of the APC, noting that unresolved rivalries had played a major role in the party’s loss of the governorship seat to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections.
He warned that unless the same mistakes were avoided, the opposition could once again take advantage of APC’s internal divisions in the next election cycle.
“Our inability to reconcile differences and build trust among members contributed to our loss in 2023,” he said.
“If we continue down this path of division and suspicion, we may again hand victory to the opposition on a platter of gold.”
The APC has been struggling to maintain unity in Zamfara since the 2023 general elections. The party, which once dominated politics in the state, lost the governorship to Dauda Lawal of the PDP amid internal disputes between factions loyal to former governors Yari and Matawalle.
Although the APC recently won the Kaura-Namoda South State Assembly by-election, political analysts say the party remains fragile, with signs of tension among its key stakeholders.
Shinkafi’s latest intervention appears to be a call for reconciliation ahead of the 2027 polls, as several groups within the party continue to trade blame over the 2023 defeat.
He urged the APC’s national leadership to deploy its conflict-resolution mechanisms to the state level to ensure lasting peace and unity.
“We must stop this cycle of rivalry and bitterness. What Zamfara APC needs now is dialogue, forgiveness, and genuine reconciliation,” he added.
“We have a responsibility to our members and to President Tinubu to keep the APC strong in Zamfara.”
The APC remains the main opposition party in Zamfara and hopes to reclaim power in 2027. But Shinkafi warned that such a goal would remain out of reach unless unity and teamwork are restored among its leaders and supporters.
