Matawalle Accused of ‘Murdering Democracy’ in Zamfara APC Primaries

By Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna

An aspirant for the Zamfara North Senatorial seat under the All Progressives Congress, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has accused the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of undermining democracy in the state by imposing candidates ahead of Tuesday’s senatorial primaries.

In a press statement signed and made available to Newsmen Shinkafi alleged that Matawalle arrived in Zamfara with former and serving governors, claiming President Bola Tinubu had directed all senatorial aspirants to withdraw for serving senators.

He said the directive was issued without consultation and contradicted earlier public statements by both the President and APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, on adhering to democratic processes.

“This impunity, injustice, and flagrant disregard for the APC Constitution and the Electoral Act 2026 shall not stand,” Shinkafi said. “I will challenge my unlawful exclusion in court.”

He described the move as “political banditry” and warned it could jeopardize APC’s chances in Zamfara during the 2027 general election. Citing Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2026, he said parties must conduct primaries by either direct voting or consensus, and that the process must be monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Shinkafi said he had not withdrawn from the race, written any resignation letter, or agreed to any consensus arrangement. He directed supporters in Zamfara North to stay away from what he called an “undemocratic affirmation” of anointed aspirants, alleging that political thugs had been mobilized to disrupt the primaries.

The aspirant drew parallels with 2019, when the Supreme Court nullified all APC primaries in Zamfara over internal disputes on candidate imposition and awarded victories to the party that came second. “History is about to be repeated with the unlawful exclusion of aspirants for the Senate,” he said.

Shinkafi, a former governorship candidate in Zamfara and former National Secretary of APGA, also serves as Patron of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council 2023.

He urged the party to strictly follow the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and the APC constitution to avoid a repeat of the 2019 outcome, which he said saw APC lose all elective seats in the state, including the governorship.

Attempts to reach the Minister’s office for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.