A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed the disqualification of Honourable Aliyu Abubakar Tsafe (MC) from the Zamfara senatorial race as baseless, misleading, and politically motivated.
The party’s screening committee had cited the alleged non-payment of party dues by Tsafe’s nominators. However, in a statement issued on Friday, APC stalwart Salis Muhammad Moriki described the excuse as lacking credibility and exposing a desperate bid to impose an unpopular candidate.
“It is unfortunate that Governor Dauda Lawal and his associates, in a calculated move to edge out one of the most formidable aspirants, failed to conduct a transparent screening process,” Moriki said. “Instead of due process, they resorted to hasty actions aimed at favouring the incumbent senator, Iqra Aliyu Bilbis.”
He noted that while the committee claimed nominators had not paid their dues, it deliberately ignored the party’s official receipt confirming payment. Records show that dues for 120 members, totalling ₦288,000, were paid on 5th May 2026 – long before the purchase of nomination forms.
“This raises serious questions about the credibility and sincerity of the screening exercise,” the statement added. “The results were published online only hours before the primary, denying aspirants time to seek redress. Such actions undermine internal democracy and due process.”
Moriki warned that if Tsafe and others challenge the injustice in court, the APC risks repeating the political disaster of 2019 in Zamfara, when courts nullified invalid primaries, costing the party all its electoral victories.
He appealed to the party leadership to act swiftly, saying: “Political arrogance and manipulation have never strengthened any party – they weaken credibility and electoral chances.”
