By Abdullahi Alhassan
A senatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Zamfara North Senatorial District, Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has rejected the outcome of the party’s fresh primary election conducted on November 2, 2026, alleging widespread irregularities, procedural violations and deliberate manipulation of the process.
Shinkafi, who made his position known while addressing supporters in Gusau, said he had formally petitioned the APC National Working Committee (NWC), demanding the immediate cancellation of the exercise and the conduct of a fresh, transparent primary.
He described the election, which covered Birnin-Magaji, Shinkafi, Kaura-Namoda and Zurmi Local Government Areas, as an alleged administrative ambush designed to undermine the party’s electoral guidelines and compromise the credibility of the process.
According to him, the exercise was characterised by the withholding of essential election materials, absence of proper accreditation, intimidation of party agents and the alleged fabrication of results outside designated collation centres.
Missing Election Materials, Alleged Disenfranchisement
Detailing the alleged infractions, Shinkafi accused the election management team of withholding original, serialised and security-printed result sheets, alongside official party membership registers, across the affected wards.
He alleged that unauthorised photocopies of result sheets subsequently surfaced at locations that were not officially designated for the exercise, after party members and stakeholders had dispersed.
The aspirant maintained that the development contravened Section B(iii)(k–l) of the APC Guidelines for Direct and Consensus Primaries.
He further alleged that no proper accreditation was conducted, insisting that membership cards were not verified against the membership register certified by the NWC.
“Thousands of party members were disenfranchised, contrary to Sections B(i) and B(iii)(f), (g) and (h) of the guidelines,” he said.
Allegations of Intimidation, Armed Presence
Shinkafi also accused the election committee of creating confusion through conflicting schedules, sudden changes in voting venues and inadequate communication with aspirants and their representatives.
More troubling, he alleged that some voting centres were invaded by unauthorised armed individuals, including irregular security operatives and heavily armed soldiers.
“My agents were intimidated and driven away with gunshots,” he alleged, arguing that the development violated Sections 96(5) and (6), 97(1), 132 and 27(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
He further alleged that the collation process was hijacked by individuals who appointed themselves as Local Government Collation Officers without authorisation from the NWC, contrary to Section C(iii) of the party’s primary guidelines.
According to him, results were allegedly generated at private locations without the participation or supervision of accredited party agents.
He also accused the organisers of denying agents access to result sheets and official copies of the election results, which he said violated Sections B(iii)(b) and B(ii) of the guidelines.
Conflicting Declarations Deepen Controversy
The aspirant said the credibility crisis surrounding the exercise was further heightened by conflicting declarations allegedly made by members of the primary election committee.
He claimed that while the committee chairman, a retired military officer, announced Senator Sahabi Ya’u Kaura as the winner, another member of the same committee declared Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura victorious.
Shinkafi also dismissed suggestions that he had entered into a consensus arrangement with Senator Tijjani or any other aspirant, insisting that no such agreement was reached.
Citing Sections 84–88 of the Electoral Act, 2026, he argued that political parties are obligated to comply strictly with the provisions of the law and their internal electoral guidelines, warning that any nomination process conducted in violation of these requirements should not stand.
Four Demands Before APC NWC
Consequently, Shinkafi called on the APC National Working Committee to urgently intervene and address what he described as a serious breach of the party’s internal democratic processes.
His demands include the immediate cancellation of the disputed primary election across the four local government areas; rejection of any purported nominee emerging from the exercise and a halt to the transmission of any candidate’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He also demanded that the NWC order a fresh and transparent direct primary across the affected local government areas, to be conducted by a credible committee appointed by the party’s national leadership, with INEC monitoring the exercise.
Additionally, he called for appropriate disciplinary measures against all individuals found culpable of compromising the integrity of the primary.
“The APC must choose between upholding its constitution and the rule of law or allowing impunity to thrive. The people of Zamfara North deserve a transparent process through which they can freely choose their senator for 2027,” he said.
The aspirant maintained that the party’s leadership must act decisively to restore confidence in its internal democratic process and ensure that the eventual candidate enjoys legitimacy among party members and constituents.
