The Zamfara State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has rebuked Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, insisting that he was desperate for relevance. The party also applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the ongoing war against insecurity.
In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris Gusau, the party said Shinkafi is driven by envy, frustrations and meddling.
According to APC, Shinkafi in 2019 received help from former governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle, who gave him political shelter after he lost relevance in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
“Since 2019, when Bello Mohammed Matawalle became governor of Zamfara State, Shinkafi, who had lost everything in APGA and was desperately searching for a place, found help in the new Matawalle government, which he found complacent.
“Even when he claimed to have brought his APGA followers to Matawalle, the followers had to leave him to follow Matawalle”
The party noted that instead of showing gratitude to former Governor Matawalle, who provided him aid, Shinkafi is using every available opportunity to defame the former Governor, all in order to curry favor with the PDP administration in the state.
“Having lost everything, Sani Shinkafi retreated to Zamfara seeking absorption by the PDP governor even as he claims to be a member of APC and trying to manipulate the government into his liking. He felt the best way is to start causing trouble for former Governor and now Minister of State for Defence, Matawalle as it is an easy place for Governor Dauda Lawal who always sees Matawalle as an threat.
The party said Shinkafi’s claim that Kabiru Mafara was forced to leave the APC smacks of a deliberate attempt to distort the facts because Marafa, who could not get any appointment, left of his own free will.
“Marafa even boasted that he had made several moves against and for the APC to fire him, but that was not the case and that is why he withdrew.”
APC said even Marafa’s closest supporters and Sani Jahi, a member of the House of Representatives who was also suspended by the party, are well aware of the circumstances that led to their departures.
The party insisted that there was no division in its ranks as it claimed, noting that the APC has never been as united in Zamfara as it is now, due to the tenacious commitment of the trio of Minister Matawalle, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, Senator Yarima Bakura and former Governor Mamuda Shinkafi, among others.
“It was this unity that saw the APC overwhelmingly defeat the ruling PDP in the state in the recent Kaura-Namoda South State Assembly by-election and we remain very confident that even with the combination of traitors like money-dealer Sani Shinkafi, anti-party activist Sani Jaji and the envious Kabiru Mafara, the APC is headed for a strong I will return to Zamfara when 2027 arrives.
“As APC grows stronger in Zamfara State, we will ensure that no stone is left unturned, especially those with ill motives against the success and unity of the party.
“The party calls on Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi to make amends or face the consequences of his actions because we know all about his affair with the PDP in the state.
However, APC in Zamfara expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed for finding one of its leaders, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, trustworthy, while praising the President for proactively addressing insecurity in the country.
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