Zamfara APC Aspirant Petitions Defence Minister Over Alleged Military Interference in Senatorial Primary

An All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial aspirant for Zamfara North, Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has petitioned the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, demanding an investigation into the alleged involvement of serving military personnel in the party’s November 2 rerun primary.

Shinkafi, through his lawyers at YAS Law Firm, accused Lieutenant Commander Salisu Abdulrahman Umar, Chief Security Officer to the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, and other military personnel of interfering in the exercise.

The petition, dated November 9 and acknowledged by the Defence Ministry on November 10, alleged that Umar engaged in partisan political activities in violation of the expected neutrality of serving military personnel.

Shinkafi further claimed that the officer worked with political actors and members of the APC primary election committee to manipulate 42 ward result sheets and the senatorial district result sheet across Shinkafi, Zurmi, Kaura Namoda and Birnin Magaji Local Government Areas.

The aspirant also alleged that military personnel deployed armoured vehicles and gun trucks to intimidate voters, disrupt the exercise and influence the outcome in favour of a preferred candidate.

According to the petition, Umar was not included in the Zamfara State Commissioner of Police’s Operation Order No. 29/DOPS/2026, which outlined security arrangements for the rerun primary.

Shinkafi also accused Umar of collaborating with the primary election committee, allegedly led by Dr Awwal Abdullahi Aliyu, to produce what he described as fraudulent result sheets despite the absence of official voting materials at designated centres.

He urged the Defence Minister to order the Military Police and Defence Intelligence Agency to investigate the allegations. He also requested Umar’s interdiction pending the outcome of the probe and a court-martial if found culpable.

The petition reportedly included disputed result sheets, the police operational order, video and photographic materials, as well as 14 social media links which Shinkafi said supported his claims.

The controversy comes months after an earlier APC senatorial primary conducted on May 28, 2026. Shinkafi maintained that the exercise was nullified by the Federal High Court in Gusau and the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division, which he said ordered a fresh primary involving all cleared aspirants.

He alleged that the November 2 rerun was also manipulated and did not reflect the wishes of APC members in Zamfara North. The allegations remain claims contained in the petition, with no findings of an investigation provided in the report.