Former Zamfara Central Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa, who played a key role as Zamfara State Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organisation during the 2023 Presidential Election, has officially resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Marafa, whose tenure in the Senate spanned from 2011 to 2019, cited his decision to leave the party as a direct response to what he described as President Bola Tinubu’s “use-and-dump” leadership approach.
The announcement came after a two-day meeting of the Senator Kabiru Marafa Consultative Forum, which convened supporters from all 14 local government areas of Zamfara State. Held in Kaduna on August 27 and 28, 2025, the meeting focused on the escalating security crisis, political marginalization, and underdevelopment facing Zamfara.
In a communiqué signed by the Forum’s leaders, including Chairman Comrade Bashir Muhammad Mafara and Secretary Dr. Mannir Bature Tsafe, the group recalled how Marafa had successfully delivered Zamfara’s votes to Tinubu in the 2023 election — even assuring the candidate a victory without the need for a personal visit.
Despite this loyalty, the Forum expressed deep dissatisfaction with the current administration’s neglect of Zamfara. They criticized the worsening insecurity in the state, noting that Zamfara recorded the highest number of kidnappings nationwide in 2024, with 1,203 out of 4,722 abductions in Nigeria occurring there. The communiqué also highlighted a violent week following a bye-election, where 25 villages were attacked, 145 people kidnapped, and 21 killed.
The Forum condemned the use of security forces during the Kaura Namoda bye-election to secure APC’s victory, contrasting this protection with the failure to safeguard the same communities from bandit attacks.
Regarding political appointments, the group pointed out that Zamfara received only a single Minister of State slot, while other Northwestern states secured two each. Additionally, states that voted against Tinubu, notably Lagos, have received more ministerial positions and developmental projects compared to Zamfara, which the Forum described as deliberate marginalization.
Aside from the lack of ministerial appointments, the group accused the President of ignoring Zamfara in his personal visits and withholding financial support for victims of insecurity, in stark contrast to his interventions in other troubled states. They further charged the national APC leadership with sidelining Marafa’s political structure, betraying the party’s principles of fairness, equity, and inclusiveness.
After thorough consultations and careful assessment, the Forum declared the formal resignation of Senator Marafa’s entire political structure across Zamfara’s 147 wards from the APC. This move is a protest against what they called “sustained injustice, mistrust, marginalization, and deliberate neglect” of the state and its people.
The group also pledged to announce their next political course soon, with a focus on advancing the collective interests of Zamfara residents.
