. As Samuel Ajose withdraws from Lagos Guber race, backs Hamzat
CYRIL MBAH, Abuja with Agency report
A row has erupted in the Zamfara chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC after aspirants were excluded from the party’s senatorial primaries, with some candidates accusing Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle of undermining and murdering internal democracy.
Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, an APC senatorial aspirant for Zamfara North, alleged that the primary election process held on Tuesday, 19th May 2026, was flawed and reduced to an “affirmation of anointed aspirants” rather than a contest.
He described the development as a blatant “political banditry” and said it had shrunk the party’s chances of winning the election in the state in 2027.
Shinkafi claimed Matawalle arrived in Gusau on Monday with past and serving governors, announcing that President Bola Tinubu had directed all senatorial aspirants to step down for serving senators.
The aspirant alleged that no meeting or consultation was held on the directive, which he argued contradicts earlier statements by the President and APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda.
He said the move violates Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2026, which provides that parties must choose candidates through direct primaries or consensus reached transparently.
The aspirant insisted that he was never consulted, did not withdraw from the contest, and had not written any letter stepping down from the race.
Shinkafi warned that the exclusion of cleared aspirants would weaken APC’s chances in Zamfara, with Governor Dauda Lawal emerging as the main beneficiary.
He said the action mirrored the party’s 2019 crisis in the state, when the Supreme Court nullified all APC primaries and awarded victories to the runners-up.
Citing the 2019 court riling as a precedent, he argued that history was about to repeat itself if the party ignored due process.
He recalled that in 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that APC had no valid candidates after disputes over primaries, leading the party to lose all elective positions in the state.
Shinkafi also accused political thugs of being mobilised to disrupt the primaries and pave the way for the “illegal consensus aspirants,” stating that he had directed his supporters not to participate in what he called an undemocratic affirmation process.
“As a democrat and law-abiding citizen, I will not participate in any electoral process that is not in compliance with the provisions of the law,” he said, adding, “All my supporters should remain calm and stay at home.”
Shinkafi vowed to challenge his exclusion in court, saying the injustice would not stand and he urged party leaders to uphold the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and the APC constitution to avoid a repeat of 2019.
He concluded that the imposition of candidates amounted to “murdering democracy” in Zamfara and warned that the rule of law, not the rule of the might, should guide party primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Other aspirants equally complained about the process adopted by party officials in Zamfara State in the conduct of House of Representatives and Senate primary elections and they are calling on the party leadership to intervene and resolve the impasse.
However, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Samuel Ajose, has announced his withdrawal from the Lagos State governorship race, declaring support for the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, ahead of the next governorship election.
Ajose announced this on Tuesday while addressing his supporters in Lagos, saying the decision was taken after careful reflection and in the interest of unity and collective progress.
According to him, although the decision placed him in a difficult position, he found peace after weighing what would benefit everyone involved.
“I know it is a very tough decision. I still struggled with it overnight, too. But when I woke up in the morning, I had my peace,” he said.
He added that his priority remained the overall interest of the people and ensuring that no group was left behind in the political process.
“Everything that everybody will benefit from, even if I won’t be the governor, you are still going to benefit because you have made sure that you took care of the interests of everybody. And I think that’s the best,” Ajose stated.
Announcing his decision to step aside, Ajose said he would now support Hamzat and participate actively in the campaign structure.
“In the interest of the party, I, Dr Samuel Mawuyon Ajose, have decided that I will let go. I will support Dr. Hamzat, and we are going to be part of his campaign, and we are going to take a very important position in his campaign,” he added.
Ajose’s withdrawal comes weeks after former Lagos governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, also stepped down from the governorship race and endorsed Hamzat.
Jandor said his withdrawal followed the endorsement of Hamzat by President Bola Tinubu and APC leaders in Lagos State.
“Following the endorsement of Dr. Kadiri Hamzat by our Leader, the President of Nigeria, and Leaders of our party in Lagos, and in recognition of the prevailing realities within the political landscape of our great party, I have decided to withdraw from the 2027 Lagos State gubernatorial race,” Jandor had said.
The former PDP governorship candidate described the decision as a sacrifice made for party cohesion and unity, while pledging loyalty to the APC leadership structure.
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