An All Progressives Congress chieftain, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has said the eight suspended Zamfara State House of Assembly members who recently resigned from the party were not political allies of former governor Abdul’aziz Yari.
Shinkafi, in a statement obtained on Saturday, said attempts by Yari and other APC stakeholders to resolve the lawmakers’ prolonged suspension had failed, as the Assembly leadership refused to reinstate them or restore their salaries and entitlements.
The eight lawmakers, who were suspended on February 26, 2024, recently resigned from the APC amid the lingering dispute.
They are Aliyu Ango Kagara, Ibrahim Tukur Bakura, Faruk Musa Dosara, Bashir Abubakar Masama, Muktaru Nasiru Kaura, Nasiru Abdullahi, Bashar Bello and Bashar Ali.
The Assembly had accused them of gross misconduct, conspiracy, mischief, contempt of the House and convening an illegal sitting in violation of its Standing Orders.
Its Speaker, Bilyaminu Ismail Moriki, had also alleged that their actions included breaking into the offices of the Clerk and Sergeant-at-Arms and destroying public property.
Shinkafi said the dispute persisted despite efforts by Yari, who represents Zamfara West Senatorial District, to broker peace between the lawmakers and the state government.
He said, “In my contribution, I urged Senator Yari to approach Governor Lawal as he planned to defect to APC to amicably resolve the matter to foster peace and unity in the party. Sadly, all efforts made were abortive.”
Governor Dauda Lawal defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC in March 2026, raising expectations that the dispute would be resolved following the political realignment.
Shinkafi said Yari convened an APC stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the crisis and subsequently provided financial assistance to the suspended lawmakers.
He added that the legislators had been unable to meet their financial obligations because their salaries, allowances and other entitlements had been withheld.
“In his magnanimity as a compassionate leader, Yari gave financial support to the suspended legislators and continued to broker peace to those involved in the matter behind the scene,” he said.
The APC chieftain also appealed to Lawal and the Assembly leadership to pursue a political solution and pay the lawmakers their outstanding entitlements.
Shinkafi, however, rejected claims that Yari was sponsoring the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Zamfara State, Bilyaminu Yusuf Shinkafi.
He described the allegation as “mischievous, false, handwork of mischief makers and political adversaries” seeking to damage the former governor’s reputation.
According to him, the ADC candidate has family ties to Yari but previously sought the APC ticket for Zamfara North Senatorial District before defecting to the ADC after the party’s screening committee failed to clear him.
Shinkafi said the candidate was also a political ally of former governor Bello Matawalle, now Minister of State for Defence.
He further maintained that five of the eight suspended lawmakers were elected on the PDP platform in the 2023 elections before defecting to the APC, while three won their seats on the APC platform.
The APC chieftain argued that the lawmakers’ political backgrounds contradicted claims linking them to Yari as a political bloc.
He said the former governor remained committed to strengthening the APC in Zamfara and would work towards President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Shinkafi urged Nigerians to disregard what he described as misinformation about Yari and the APC in the state.
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