Suspended Zamfara Lawmakers Not Yari’s Allies, APC Chieftain Clarifies

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Zamfara State has dismissed claims linking Senator Abdul'Aziz Yari to the eight suspended members of the State House of Assembly who recently dumped the party.

An APC chieftain and aspirant for Zamfara North Senatorial District in 2027, Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, who made the clarification in a statement, described reports associating the former governor and Director General of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council with the lawmakers as "mischievous and sponsored."

The affected lawmakers are Aliyu Ango Kagara, Talata Mafara South; Ibrahim Tukur Bakura, Bakura; Faruk Musa Dosara, Maradun I; Bashir Abubakar Masama, Bukkuyum North; Muktaru Nasiru Kaura, Kaura North; Nasiru Abdullahi, Maru North; Bashar Bello, Bungudu West, and Bashar Aliyu, Gummi.

They were suspended on February 26, 2024, over allegations of gross misconduct, conspiracy and holding an illegal sitting. The leadership of the Assembly subsequently instituted criminal proceedings against them and secured arrest warrants, forcing them to flee the state.

Dr. Shinkafi explained that five of the eight legislators were elected in 2023 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, before defecting to the APC, while only three won their seats on the APC ticket. According to him, some of them were political allies of former Governors Bello Matawalle and Ahmad Sani Yerima, and not Senator Yari. "Hon. Ibrahim Tukur Bakura, for instance, was nominated to replace a late member in 2020 on PDP platform and defected with Matawalle in 2021. The member for Maradun I served as Majority Leader under Matawalle. They have no political affiliation with Senator Yari," he said.

He further clarified that Hon. Aliyu Ango Kagara of Talata Mafara South, who was declared absent by the Assembly in January 2025 for attending only 21 out of 180 sittings, was not among the eight lawmakers suspended in 2024.
The APC chieftain disclosed that efforts by Senator Yari and other party stakeholders to resolve the crisis failed after the House leadership declined to lift the suspension and instead pursued legal action against the members.

He added that the denial of tickets to the affected lawmakers ahead of the 2027 elections contributed significantly to their decision to resign from the party. Dr. Shinkafi said the suspension led to the withholding of their salaries and entitlements, prompting Senator Yari to offer personal financial assistance and to offset some of their bank loans to cushion their hardship.

"I passionately appealed to the House leadership and Governor Dauda Lawal for a political solution and payment of their entitlements, but the leadership remained adamant," he said. He also debunked social media reports alleging that Senator Yari is sponsoring the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Zamfara, Hon. Bilyaminu Yusuf Shinkafi.

He described the claim as "a blatant lie and campaign of calumny" orchestrated by political opponents intimidated by Yari's growing influence. Dr. Shinkafi explained that the ADC candidate is related by marriage to Senator Yari, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Atiku Bagudu, and former Governor Mahmud Shinkafi, but enjoys no political sponsorship from Yari.

He noted that the ADC candidate had aspired for the Zamfara North Senatorial ticket on the APC platform in 2027 but was not cleared by the party's screening committee.
He recalled that following Governor Dauda Lawal's defection from the PDP to the APC in March 2026, both the governor and Senator Yari are now in the same party, a development that had raised hopes for reconciliation.

According to him, Yari convened a stakeholders' meeting to broker peace, but some key figures, including the Minister of State for Defence, failed to attend. Dr. Shinkafi maintained that the APC in Zamfara remains united under Senator Yari's leadership and expressed confidence that the former governor would deliver victory for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election under the Renewed Hope Agenda. "Senator Yari is a team player and man of enormous political sagacity. His appointment as DG of the Presidential Campaign Council reflects national acceptance that some rivals are uncomfortable with," he said.

He urged the public to disregard fake news targeted at Senator Yari and the APC in Zamfara, stressing that the party remains "strong, vibrant and united" ahead of the 2027 general elections. "Let us rally behind visionary leaders like President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima and Senator Yari to build a nation future generations will be proud of," he said.