Tinubu Campaign Coordinator in Zamfara Defects to ADC

A former senator and coordinator of the 2023 Tinubu/Shettima campaign in Zamfara State, Kabiru Marafa, has left the All Progressives Congress for the African Democratic Congress.

His defection was confirmed on Thursday through a statement by his media aide, Mansur Haruna, following what was described as a strategic meeting with his political associates in Kaduna State.

Marafa said his decision came after consultations with supporters and a reassessment of his political direction. He accused the ruling APC-led federal government of actions he described as attempts to generate instability within opposition politics and alleged interference linked to the use of the National Identification Number database for political purposes.

He said his move to the ADC was aimed at what he called restoring political freedom and reducing what he termed “political manipulation,” adding that he would not be deterred by pressure from political actors.

Marafa has long been involved in internal disputes within the APC in Zamfara. He previously sought the party’s governorship ticket in 2019 but lost backing from then Governor Abdulaziz Yari. The disagreement triggered a split within the party’s state structure and led to prolonged factional conflict.

He later challenged the outcome of APC primaries in court, a case that reached the Supreme Court, which invalidated the party’s primaries after the elections had already been conducted, affecting the party’s control of several seats in the state.

Although he reconciled briefly with Yari in 2021, tensions resurfaced after the APC lost Zamfara State in 2023. In recent years, Marafa has also had political disagreements with the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, over influence within the party in the state.