Former Zamfara Central Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing President Bola Tinubu of betrayal and neglect.
Marafa, who coordinated the Tinubu/Shettima campaign in Zamfara during the 2023 election, announced his decision after a two-day strategy session with his political allies in Kaduna.
The meeting, held under the Senator Kabiru Marafa Consultative Forum, brought together stakeholders from all 14 local government areas of Zamfara. A communiqué signed by eight top members declared the structure’s complete withdrawal from the APC.
It stated: “The entire structure, with all its supporters across the 147 wards in Zamfara State, hereby formally resigns from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in protest against the sustained injustice and deliberate neglect of Zamfara State. We shall, in due course, announce our next political direction guided by the collective interest of the good people of Zamfara State.”
‘Zamfara Delivered Tinubu, Yet Was Abandoned’
The communiqué accused Tinubu of sidelining Zamfara despite the state being one of only two North-West states he won in 2023. It reminded the President that Marafa’s efforts helped secure that victory.
“We delivered Zamfara for Mr President. Lagos, where he lost, got multiple ministerial slots and controls key financial agencies. Zamfara got only a Minister of State,” the group lamented.
They accused the APC of failing to tackle insecurity, pointing to Zamfara’s status as the epicentre of kidnappings in Nigeria. According to figures cited from Zamfara Circle Community Initiatives, the state recorded 1,203 out of 4,722 abductions nationwide in 2024—far above Kaduna’s 629.
The forum revealed that “25 villages were attacked in one week after the bye-election, leaving 145 kidnapped and 21 killed in communities such as Fegin Mahe (Gusau), Banga (Kaura), Adafka (Bukkuyum), Chediya (Tsafe), and Damri (Bakura). The situation continues to worsen, leaving communities devastated and hopeless.”
Selective Justice and Political Neglect
The group accused the APC of double standards, saying security forces were only deployed during elections to secure victory, then withdrawn afterwards, leaving communities exposed.
They further alleged that residents in insecure areas were forced to sell their votes because of hunger, after the party engaged in vote-buying.
They condemned Tinubu’s selective response to violence, saying: “While the President personally visited states with lower casualty figures after attacks, he has never visited Zamfara since assuming office over two years ago, despite its record number of victims.”
Furthermore, they accused APC leaders of discarding the party’s founding ideals of fairness and justice: “The above actions and omissions negate the fundamental principles upon which APC was founded. Conscience demands that genuine progressives resist injustice, no matter how uncomfortable.”
Marafa’s camp vowed to chart a new political path in the weeks ahead, insisting the decision serves the interest of Zamfara people.
So, will Marafa’s exit deepen APC’s crisis in the North-West and trigger new political alignments before 2027? Is President Tinubu gaining or losing support among the political elites of the north?
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