APC Senatorial Aspirant Accuses Matawalle of Imposing Candidates in Zamfara

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

An All Progressives Congress senatorial aspirant in Zamfara State, Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has accused the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of orchestrating the imposition of candidates ahead of the party’s senatorial primaries in the state.

In a statement issued on Monday, Shinkafi described the alleged exclusion of aspirants from the primaries as “political banditry” and warned that the development could undermine the APC’s chances in the 2027 general elections in Zamfara State.

He alleged that Matawalle, alongside former and serving governors from the state, arrived in Zamfara and informed aspirants that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed all senatorial aspirants to step down for serving senators ahead of the primaries scheduled for May 19.

Shinkafi claimed the decision contradictedprovisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and the APC constitution, insisting that no consultations or meetings were held with aspirants before the alleged directive.

The APC aspirant said he would challenge what he described as his unlawful exclusion from the Zamfara North Senatorial primary in court.

He also warned that the party risked repeating the events of 2019 when the Supreme Court nullified APC primaries in Zamfara State over irregularities and awarded victories to opposition candidates.

According to him, the current crisis could negatively affect the APC’s electoral fortunes in the state if internal democracy and the rule of law are not respected.

Shinkafi further alleged that political thugs had been mobilised to disrupt the primaries and facilitate the affirmation of “anointed candidates.”

He directed his supporters not to participate inwhat he described as an undemocratic process and insisted that he had neither withdrawn from the race nor consented to any consensus arrangement.

The former governorship candidate maintained that the alleged imposition of candidates violates the principles of internal democracy and vowed to pursue legal action against the process.