Ex-Senator Marafa quits APC, accuses Tinubu of betrayal, neglect of Zamfara

By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja

Former Zamfara senator, Kabiru Garba Marafa and his supporters on Friday announced their resignation from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. Marafa, who represented Zamfara Central in the 7th and 8th National Assembly, hinged his decision to quit the ruling party on alleged betrayed of personal trust and abandonment of Zamfara State by President Bola Tinubu after the 2023 presidential election.

Marafa and his supporters took the decision to quit the APC at a two-day consultative meeting held on August 27th and 28th, 2025, in Kaduna, according to a communique issued at the end of the meeting signed jointly signed by leaders of Senator Kabiru Marafa Consultative Forum representing all the 14 local government areas of Zamfara State.

According to the communiqué, leaders of Marafa’s political structure across the 147 wards in Zamfara unanimously resolved to resign from the APC in protest against “sustained injustice, mistrust, marginalisation and deliberate neglect of Zamfara State and its people”.

Marafa recalled that while Zamfara was one of only two states in the North-west that gave Tinubu a victory during the 2023 elections, the state has been sidelined in terms of political appointments, infrastructural development and federal presence.

Part of the communique read: “Despite this pivotal contribution, the Marafa-led structure in Zamfara was sidelined in all areas. Political appointments, infrastructural development and federal presence.

“While Lagos State, where Tinubu lost, received overwhelming patronage and multiple ministerial slots, Zamfara was handed only a Minister of State portfolio, with no meaningful developmental attention or federal engagement,” it added.

The group also accused President Tinubu and the APC leadership of abandoning the principles upon which the party was founded.

The group said they have been ignored by the APC leadership in the state.

“The failure of party leadership at the national level and Mr. President to ensure justice and fairness within the ranks of the party leaders at the state level. Instead of giving fair treatment to all important stakeholders, the national leadership decided to be selective in their dealings with APC members in the state, with our group being ignored.

“The above actions and omissions negate the fundamental principles of justice, fairness, equity and accountability upon which the APC was founded. Conscience demands that genuine progressives must stand for truth and resist injustice, no matter how uncomfortable,” the communique said.

The Marafa political group also accused the Tinubu’s administration of not rising up to the challenge of insecurity in Zamfara State.

In the communiqué, the group made reference to the data published by some newspapers where Zamfara topped the list of states affected by kidnappings, with 1,203 of the 4,722 kidnapped nationwide in 2024 coming from the state alone.

Just weeks ago, it added, 25 villages in the state were reportedly attacked in a single week, resulting in 145 kidnappings and 21 deaths.

The communiqué read: “Locations such as Fegin Mahe, Banga, Adafka, Damri and Jangebe have been left devastated, yet no high-level federal visit or relief has been extended.

“In sharp contrast, President Tinubu had visited states with far less security crises, offering support and financial assistance. Zamfara, where the crisis is most acute, has been met with silence and abandonment.”

The Marafa group also condemned what it described as politicisation of security in Zamfara, especially during the recent by-election in Kaura Namoda. It claimed military deployment was used not to protect lives, but to facilitate electoral victory for the APC.

It read: “Shockingly, security personnel were withdrawn after the election and attacks resumed almost immediately.

“Further compounding the injustice was the excessive vote-buying that took place in an area ravaged by poverty and insecurity, a situation that is a clear indication that the APC values power over human life.”

Marafa and his supporters, according to the communiqué, also decried the marginalisation of APC members from Zamfara, particularly his loyalists who formed the backbone of Tinubu’s victory in the state.

“Despite several appeals for recognition, they have been treated as outsiders within the party.

“The actions and inactions of President Tinubu and the APC negate the founding principles of justice, fairness and accountability. It is clear that loyalty is rewarded with betrayal and sacrifice is met with exclusion.

“The Forum therefore resolved that the entire political structure of Senator Kabiru Garba across all 147 wards in Zamfara State, hereby formally resigns from the All Progressives Congress (APC) with immediate effect.

“It also resolved that the group will announce its next political direction in due course, guided by the collective interest of the good people of Zamfara State,” it said.

Marafa, was the Zamfara State Coordinator for the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign in 2023, described President Bola Tinubu.