Shinkafi rejects Zamfara North APC primary, demands fresh election

Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, an aspirant for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Zamfara North Senatorial ticket, has rejected the November 2 primary election, alleging irregularities, electoral malpractice, and non-compliance with the party’s guidelines.

Shinkafi, popularly known as Wamban Shinkafi, said the exercise conducted across the Birnin Magaji, Shinkafi, Kaura Namoda, and Zurmi local government areas was characterised by non-compliance with electoral procedures, intimidation of party members, and deliberate manipulation of results.

In a press statement, the aspirant alleged that original voting materials and official result sheets were not made available at designated polling locations, while photocopied result sheets allegedly surfaced at unauthorised locations hours after party members had dispersed.

He also claimed that there was no proper accreditation of voters, alleging that APC membership cards and biometric identification were not verified against the party’s official register before the voting exercise.

According to him, conflicting schedules, abrupt venue changes, and poor communication by the election management team created widespread confusion among aspirants, their supporters, and agents.

Shinkafi further alleged that armed actors, including irregular security personnel and soldiers, took over designated voting and collation centres, intimidating his supporters and agents and forcing several of them to flee following sporadic gunshots.

He accused the primary election committee of allowing unauthorised local government collation officers and ward returning officers to conduct and declare results without proper authorization from the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).

The aspirant also stated that results were secretly collated at undisclosed locations without the participation of his accredited agents, who were allegedly denied access to monitor the process, verify figures, or receive copies of the result sheets.

He maintained that these actions violated APC guidelines for direct primaries as well as relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, rendering the exercise invalid and non-credible.

The controversy surrounding the primary was further heightened by the emergence of two conflicting declarations, with both Senator Sahabi Ya’u Kaura and Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura reportedly being declared winners by different members of the election committee.

Shinkafi, however, dismissed suggestions that there was any consensus arrangement between him and Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura or any other aspirant.

He stressed that he remains committed to pursuing his grievances through lawful means rather than resorting to actions capable of undermining democratic principles.

Consequently, Shinkafi called on the APC National Chairman, the NWC, and the party’s National Election Appeals Committee to immediately nullify the election and set aside any candidate declared as the winner.

He demanded that the party conduct a fresh direct primary across the four local government areas under the supervision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and a newly constituted, duly authorised election committee.

The aspirant also called for disciplinary action against individuals involved in the alleged irregularities and result manipulation.

He warned that failure by the party leadership to address his complaints would compel him to seek judicial redress in court against the two senators declared winners by different members of the committee.