An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has dismissed claims that former Zamfara State Governor Abdul’aziz Yari is sponsoring the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Bilyaminu Yusuf Shinkafi, ahead of the 2027 elections.
Sponsored Ads
Shinkafi described the allegation as false, accusing political opponents of attempting to damage Yari’s reputation following his appointment as Director-General of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.
Sponsored Ads
In a statement issued on Saturday, the APC chieftain said the claim circulating on social media was intended to mislead the public and undermine Yari’s political standing.
He explained that Bilyaminu Yusuf Shinkafi was related to Yari through marriage, describing the ADC candidate as a cousin of the former governor’s wife, who is a daughter of the late Umaru Shinkafi.
According to him, Bilyaminu had initially sought to contest for the Zamfara North Senatorial District seat on the APC platform but was not cleared by the party’s screening committee ahead of the 2027 elections. He subsequently joined the ADC to pursue his governorship ambition.
Shinkafi alleged that some political actors were unhappy with Yari’s appointment to lead President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign and were spreading the sponsorship allegation to discredit him.
He urged Nigerians to disregard the claim, insisting that Yari remained committed to supporting Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.
RELATED STORIES
Related Posts
The APC chieftain also denied claims that eight suspended members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, who recently resigned from the APC, were political allies of Yari.
The lawmakers are Aliyu Ango Kagara, Ibrahim Tukur Bakura, Faruk Musa Dosara, Bashir Abubakar Masama, Muktaru Nasiru Kaura, Nasiru Abdullahi, Bashar Bello and Bashar Ali.
Shinkafi said the Assembly suspended the lawmakers on February 26, 2024, over allegations including gross misconduct, conspiracy, mischief, contempt of the House and holding an unauthorised sitting in violation of its standing orders.
He added that five of the lawmakers had been elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections before defecting to the APC, arguing that their political history did not support the claim that they were Yari’s allies.
According to Shinkafi, Yari and other party stakeholders had made efforts to resolve the dispute and persuade the Assembly leadership to lift the suspension, but the attempts were unsuccessful.
He said he had advised Yari to approach Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal to seek an amicable resolution and promote peace and unity within the party. However, he said the efforts failed to produce the desired outcome.
Shinkafi further claimed that Yari had provided financial assistance to the suspended lawmakers while their salaries, allowances and other entitlements had allegedly remained unpaid since their suspension.
He said Yari had continued to support efforts to broker peace behind the scenes and appealed to Governor Lawal and the Assembly leadership to find a political solution to the dispute and address the lawmakers’ outstanding entitlements.
Comments are closed.