Zamfara APC Chieftain Wants Popularity Test For Aspirants

A former governorship candidate and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has called for a popularity test for all APC aspirants in Zamfara State, through credible and valid party primaries, regardless of political status or influence.

Shinkafi, a patron of the Tinubu–Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (2023), said this in a statement.

The APC chieftain, who also heads the Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development (PAPSD), said the test would prevent a repeat of mistakes that led to the APC’s electoral misfortunes in the 2019 and 2023 elections.

He expressed full alignment with the resolutions of the APC stakeholders’ meeting held on November 1, 2025, at the Talata Mafara country home of former Governor Senator Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari, where party leaders unanimously agreed that no candidate should be imposed on the members in the forthcoming elections.

“Every aspirant must test his or her popularity at the polls. The era of imposition of candidates is over. The APC in Zamfara must conduct valid primaries as provided by the Electoral Act 2022, INEC guidelines, and APC’s own electoral framework,” Shinkafi said.

Citing Section 84(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, he noted that political parties must conduct primaries monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), adding that consensus options would only apply if all cleared aspirants voluntarily withdraw in writing and endorse a single candidate, as stipulated in Sections 84(9) and (10).

The Zamfara APC stakeholders’ meeting, which also endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027, brought together party elders, federal and state lawmakers, local government executives, and former commissioners. Participants reviewed the 2019 and 2023 election outcomes and pledged to restore internal democracy, unity, and credibility within the party.

Shinkafi reminded party stakeholders of the painful experiences in 2019 when the Supreme Court nullified APC’s victories in Zamfara State over the failure to conduct valid primaries, handing victory to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He also recounted how the 2023 adoption of unpopular consensus candidates led to widespread rejection of the APC across the state.

“We lost governorship, House of Assembly, and several federal constituencies in 2023 because the party fielded unpopular candidates. The electorate punished us for ignoring their voices,” he said.

Shinkafi’s group, the Wamban Shinkafi Democratic Front, fully adopted the resolutions of the Yari-led stakeholders’ meeting, urging party members to prioritize unity, peace, and discipline while shunning defection and media blackmail.

He concluded by calling on all party faithful to “work as one political family to rebuild a stronger and more prosperous Zamfara that future generations will be proud of.”