Senator Marafa quits APC, says Tinubu practising ‘use-and-dump’ leadership style

Kabiru Marafa has dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing President Bola Tinubu of running a “use-and-dump” style of leadership.

The former Zamfara Central senator, who was the coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign in Zamfara during the 2023 polls, announced his exit after a two-day meeting of his consultative forum, which gathered supporters from all 14 local government areas of the state in Kaduna on August 27 and 28.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting — signed by Comrade Bashir Muhammad Mafara (chairman), Dr. Mannir Bature Tsafe (secretary), and other members — the group lamented worsening insecurity, political exclusion, and developmental neglect in Zamfara.

The communiqué recalled that Marafa delivered Zamfara’s votes for Tinubu in 2023, even assuring the then-candidate he need not visit the state — a pledge he kept. But the group expressed disappointment that, despite this loyalty, Zamfara has allegedly been sidelined under the current administration.

According to the Forum, insecurity has spiraled out of control, with Zamfara recording 1,203 out of 4,722 kidnappings nationwide in 2024. It cited reports of 25 villages attacked within a week of a bye-election, resulting in 145 abductions and 21 deaths.

The communiqué also condemned the deployment of security forces to secure APC’s electoral victory in Kaura Namoda while failing to protect lives in the same area from bandit attacks.

While other Northwest states received two ministerial slots, Zamfara was offered only a junior minister position. The Forum contrasted this with the generous appointments given to states where Tinubu lost, including Lagos, describing it as “deliberate neglect.”

They further noted that unlike other troubled states where the President personally intervened with visits and relief measures, Zamfara victims have been left without federal support.

The group accused APC’s national leadership of undermining Marafa’s political base, calling it a betrayal of the party’s founding principles of fairness and inclusiveness.

After what it called “exhaustive consultations and a critical review of prevailing circumstances,” the Forum resolved to withdraw Marafa’s entire political structure from APC across Zamfara’s 147 wards.

The communiqué stated this action was taken in protest against “sustained injustice, mistrust, marginalisation, and deliberate neglect” of the state and its people, adding that the next political move would be announced later in line with the collective interest of Zamfara residents.