A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress and Patron of the Tinubu–Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Alhaji (Dr) Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has declared that all aspirants for elective offices in the 2027 general election must undergo popularity tests through credible primaries, regardless of their political status.
In a statement he personally signed on Thursday, Shinkafi warned against repeating the mistakes of the 2019 and 2023 general elections, which, he said, cost the APC dearly in Zamfara State.
He backed the resolutions of the party’s stakeholders’ meeting chaired by former governor, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, held on November 1, 2025, at Talata Mafara, where it was unanimously agreed that there would be no imposition of candidates ahead of the next polls.
According to him, only credible primaries conducted in line with the Electoral Act 2022, INEC guidelines, and APC electoral rules can restore internal democracy and public confidence in the party.
“The consensus option should only apply when all aspirants voluntarily withdraw in writing and endorse a single candidate,” he said.
Shinkafi noted that the party’s failure to conduct valid primaries in the past led to electoral defeats and internal crises that fractured its unity and cost it its stronghold.
He reminded the party of the 2019 Supreme Court judgement that nullified APC’s victories over invalid primaries, urging that such embarrassment must never recur.
The Zamfara APC stakeholders, he said, also endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term, describing the meeting as a strategic move to reposition the party for 2027.
Shinkafi, who leads the Wamban Shinkafi Democratic Front, called on members to close ranks, embrace peace, and desist from divisive politics, stressing that unity and due process remain the only route to victory.
“It is time to reorganise, reposition, and rebuild our party to restore Zamfara’s place as an APC stronghold,” he said.
