Northern Elders Progressive Group Commends APC Chairman Yilwatda Over Zamfara North Rerun Primary

The Northern Elders Progressive Group has commended the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, for what it described as his role in ensuring a peaceful and credible rerun primary election for the Zamfara North Senatorial District.

The group said the emergence of incumbent Senator Sahabi Ya’u Kaura as the party’s candidate demonstrated the APC leadership’s commitment to internal democracy, fairness and transparency.

The rerun primary was conducted on Monday, November 2, following a Court of Appeal judgment in Sokoto which upheld a Federal High Court ruling nullifying the party’s earlier primary election for the senatorial district.

The legal challenge was instituted by an APC aspirant, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, who had contested the conduct of the previous exercise over alleged irregularities.

At the conclusion of Monday’s rerun, the Chairman of the APC Zamfara North Senatorial District Primary Election Committee, Dr Auwal Abdullahi Aliyu, declared Kaura the winner with 49,176 votes.

His rival, Tijjani Yahaya Kaura, polled 9,628 votes.

Speaking with journalists in Kaduna on Tuesday, the group’s North-West Executive Secretary, Abbas Sarki, said Yilwatda had demonstrated exemplary leadership by allowing the electoral committee to conduct the exercise independently without interference from him or members of the party’s National Working Committee.

Sarki attributed the successful conduct of the primary to the APC national chairman’s neutrality, humility and maturity.

“Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda has demonstrated that true leadership is about creating an enabling environment for a transparent and credible process. His decision to allow the electoral committee to discharge its responsibilities without interference is an excellent example of responsible party leadership,” he said.

He added that Yilwatda’s commitment to ensuring a fair process had strengthened confidence in the party’s democratic structures.

According to Sarki, reports received by the group’s monitoring team indicated that the rerun was conducted fairly, with the committee enjoying the independence required to deliver a credible outcome despite alleged attempts by some individuals to undermine the process.

The group also praised President Bola Tinubu for his leadership and support for the APC in the North-West, particularly in the areas of security, economic growth and infrastructure development.

It urged political stakeholders in Zamfara State to embrace unity, cooperation and mutual understanding, arguing that internal harmony would be important to strengthening the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

While congratulating Kaura on his emergence as the APC candidate, the group appealed to other aspirants to put aside their differences and support him.

Sarki stressed that collective backing for the party’s candidate would be crucial to the APC’s chances in the forthcoming general elections.