By Musa Usman Salisu, Kaduna
Three suspended officials of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State have approached the State High Court in Gusau, challenging what they describe as their “illegal, vindictive and unconstitutional suspension” from the party.
The plaintiffs, Hon. Babangida Aliyu Shinkafi, Kabiru Ibrahim, and Ibrahim D. Kurya, instituted the action on Friday under Suit No. ZMS/GS/65/2025.
They are seeking judicial intervention to stop what they allege is a sustained campaign of intimidation, victimisation and discrimination orchestrated by certain leaders of the party.
In their statement of claim, the trio, who serve as Ward Chairman, Welfare Secretary, and Persons Living With Disabilities (PWD) Representative respectively, maintained that they remain legitimate members of the APC executive, having been duly elected during the party’s 2022 congress.
They alleged that their suspension was politically motivated, linking it to their loyalty to APC stalwart Alhaji Sani Abdullahi (Wamban Shinkafi), whose strained relations with some influential party figures in the state reportedly triggered the action against them.
According to them, the Shinkafi APC Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Bama Shinkafi, had subjected them to months of exclusion, denying them attendance at meetings, withholding invitations to party activities, and allegedly displaying open hostility, before eventually announcing their suspension without recourse to due process.
The plaintiffs argued that neither the ward nor the local government disciplinary committees issued them any query or invited them to respond to allegations, insisting that the suspension contravene the APC Constitution and the principles of natural justice and fair hearing.
Through their counsel, Bello Idris Galadi and Associates, they asked the court to declare the suspension null, void and of no effect, describing it as an abuse of office aimed at silencing them for their political alignment.
They are also seeking an order restraining the APC, its state chairman, Alhaji Tukur Danfulani Maikatako, and the Shinkafi LGA chairman from taking further actions to suspend, expel, intimidate or harass them while the suit is pending.
The suit, already filed but yet to be assigned to a judge, also seeks a perpetual injunction affirming their positions as duly elected officers and prohibiting any future attempt to remove them without strict compliance with party disciplinary procedures.
The matter is expected to be assigned in the coming days, setting the stage for a legal contest that could further expose internal rifts within the Zamfara APC ahead of the next political cycle.
