Iliyasu Abdullahi Bah
A major political storm is brewing in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), with signs of deep cracks emerging in the Northwest stronghold of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. What began as a routine political consultation in Kaduna has now snowballed into one of the boldest acts of defiance yet against the President’s leadership.
For two days, key political stakeholders, grassroots mobilizers, and loyalists of a prominent Zamfara figure converged to review the worsening insecurity, economic stagnation, and feelings of exclusion that have gripped the state. By the end of their heated deliberations, frustration turned to rebellion.
Then came the bombshell: Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa, a central architect of Tinubu’s 2023 electoral victory in Zamfara, announced his dramatic exit from the APC—accusing the President of running a “use-and-dump” style of politics.
The dramatic exit follows an extensive two day meeting of the Senator Kabiru Marafa Consultative Forum, which convened in Kaduna on August 27th and 28th, 2025. The meeting, which brought together political allies and supporters from across all 147 wards in Zamfara 14 local government areas, conducted a comprehensive review of the escalating security crisis, political marginalization, and developmental stagnation plaguing the state.
A communiqué issued at the conclusion of the deliberations and jointly signed by Forum Chairman Comrade Bashir Muhammad Mafara, Secretary Dr. Mannir Bature Tsafe, and other key members, outlined grievances against the Tinubu administration and the APC national leadership. The document served as a detailed bill of particulars, cataloging the perceived betrayals that led to the mass resignation.
The Forum reminded the public that Senator Marafa, serving as the Zamfara State Coordinator for the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign, had single-handedly guaranteed the party’s victory in the state during the 2023 elections. So confident was he in his political machinery that he assured Tinubu that a campaign visit to the state was unnecessary, a promise he decisively fulfilled.
Despite this monumental contribution, the Forum expressed profound disappointment with the administration subsequent treatment of Zamfara. The grievances are multifaceted and severe.
The communiqué highlighted the horrifying security situation, noting that Zamfara accounted for 1,203 of the 4,722 kidnappings recorded nationwide in 2024, making it the epicenter of the nation abduction crisis.
In a particularly devastating period following a recent bye election, 25 villages were attacked, resulting in 145 citizens kidnapped and 21 killed. The Forum condemned the federal government apparent willingness to deploy security forces to secure APC electoral victories in elections like the Kaura Namoda bye-election, while consistently failing to deploy those same forces to protect vulnerable communities from bandit attacks.
The group noted with dismay that despite delivering a critical electoral victory, Zamfara was relegated to a single Minister of State position, while other Northwest states received two full ministerial slots. This perceived marginalization was sharpened by the observation that states where Tinubu performed poorly, particularly Lagos, appeared to receive disproportionately greater ministerial appointments and developmental projects.
Unlike other states grappling with insecurity that received presidential visits and targeted financial support, Zamfara has been conspicuously ignored by the President, leaving victims of violence without federal support or solidarity.
The Forum accused the APC national leadership of systematically sidelining Senator Marafas political structure within the state, contravening the party founding principles of fairness, equity, and inclusiveness.
After what it described as “exhaustive consultations and a critical review of prevailing circumstances,” the Forum announced two decisive resolutions: First, the entire political structure of Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa across Zamfara State has formally and en masse resigned from the APC in protest against what it termed “sustained injustice, mistrust, marginalisation, and deliberate neglect.” Second, the group will announce its new political direction in the coming days, a decision it promises will be guided solely by the collective interest of the people of Zamfara State.
This mass defection represents not just a personal departure but a significant fracture in the APC Northwest structure and poses a substantial threat to the party electoral prospects in future contests in the region. It stands as a stark political rebellion against an administration accused of abandoning its most loyal supporters.