Former Zamfara Central Senator, Kabiru Garba Marafa, who coordinated the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organisation in Zamfara during the 2023 presidential election, has announced his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Marafa, who represented Zamfara Central in the Senate from 2011 to 2019, said he decided to quit due to what he described as President Bola Tinubu’s “use-and-dump” style of leadership.
His decision came after a two-day meeting of the Senator Kabiru Marafa Consultative Forum, which was held in Kaduna on August 27 and 28, 2025, and attended by supporters from all 14 local government areas of Zamfara State.
At the end of the meeting, the Forum issued a communiqué signed by its chairman, Comrade Bashir Muhammad Mafara, secretary, Dr. Mannir Bature Tsafe, and other members.
The communiqué recalled that Marafa played a critical role in delivering Zamfara votes for Tinubu in 2023. During the campaign, Marafa had assured the President that there was no need for him to visit Zamfara, pledging to secure victory in the state — a promise he fulfilled.
However, the Forum expressed regret that despite this loyalty, Zamfara has suffered neglect under Tinubu’s administration.
Rising Insecurity in Zamfara
The communiqué decried the escalating insecurity in the state, noting that Zamfara topped the nationwide list of kidnappings in 2024. Out of 4,722 abductions recorded across the country, Zamfara accounted for 1,203. It further cited reports that within one week after a bye-election, 25 villages were attacked, leaving 145 people kidnapped and 21 killed.
The Forum condemned the alleged use of security forces to secure APC’s victory in the Kaura Namoda bye-election, contrasting it with the government’s failure to protect lives in communities ravaged by banditry.
Marginalisation and Neglect
The group also faulted the federal government’s appointments, pointing out that Zamfara was only allotted a Minister of State, while other Northwest states received two ministerial slots each. It argued that states where Tinubu lost, particularly Lagos, have enjoyed greater ministerial and developmental attention, describing the situation as deliberate marginalisation.
Unlike other insecurity-plagued states where the President personally intervened with visits and financial aid, Zamfara has allegedly been ignored, leaving victims without federal support.
The Forum further accused APC’s national leadership of sidelining Marafa’s political structure, which it described as contrary to the party’s founding principles of fairness, equity, and inclusiveness.
Resolution of the Forum
After what it called “exhaustive consultations and a critical review of prevailing circumstances,” the Forum resolved that:
1. The entire political structure of Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa across the 147 wards of Zamfara State has formally resigned from the APC in protest against “sustained injustice, mistrust, marginalisation, and deliberate neglect” of the state and its people.
2. The group will announce its next political direction in due course, guided by the collective interest of Zamfara citizens.
