Zamfara: 3 Suspended Ruling Party Officials Drag Party, Chair To Court

Three suspended officials of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State have filed a suit before the State High Court in Gusau, challenging what they described as their “unlawful, illegal, arbitrary, vindictive and unconstitutional suspension” from the party.

The plaintiffs, Hon. Babangida Aliyu Shinkafi, Kabiru Ibrahim, and Ibrahim D. Kurya filed the suit on November 14, 2025, seeking judicial intervention to nullify their suspension and stop further campaign of intimidation, harassment and discrimination by the party’s leadership in the state.

The trio, who serve as Ward Chairman, Welfare Secretary and representative of People  With Disabilities (PWD)  respectively, stated in their statement of claim that they remain bona fide executive members of the APC, having been duly elected during the 2022 party congress.

1. They averred that their suspension was politically motivated and linked to their loyalty to APC chieftain, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, who is said to have a strained relationship with some influential actors within the state chapter of the party over his principled stance on maintenance of democratic values, due process, rule of law and adherence to APC constitution essential in rebuilding the party in Zamfara State.

The plaintiffs stated that the Shinkafi APC Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Bama Shinkafi, had sidelined them for months,  excluding them from meetings, withholding invitations to party functions and subjecting them to open hostility before eventually announcing their suspension for no just cause in flagrant violation of the party constitution.

They averred that neither the ward nor local government disciplinary committees issued them any query or invited them to defend any allegation, submitting that their suspension violated the clear provisions of the party constitution and the principle of fair hearing as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

In the suit filed by their counsel, Bello Idris Galadi and Associates, the plaintiffs asked the court to declare the action of the defendants unconstitutional, illegal, unlawful, null and void, and of no effect, describing it as a brazen abuse of power intended to silence them for their political alignment within the APC family in Zamfara State.

They also prayed the court to grant an order of perpetual injunction restraining the party, its state chairman Alhaji Tukur Danfulani Maikatako and the Shinkafi LGA chairman, Ibrahim Bama Shinkafi from taking further steps to suspend, expel, harass or intimidate them while the matter is pending.

The plaintiffs equally urged the court to direct the maintenance of status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit, affirm their status as legitimate officers and prohibit any  attempt to remove them without strict adherence to the provisions of the party constitution.

The case is expected to be assigned to a judge soon, setting the stage for a fresh legal battle that could further destabilise the party ahead of the 2027 general election.