Shinkafi Joins APC National Chairmanship Contest

By Onyebuchi Ezigbo

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Zamfara State, Alhaji Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi has expressed interest in contesting for the national championship of the party.

Shinkafi revealed interest in the context an interview with THISDAY yesterday, saying he had officially notified the party of his intention to contest for the office of the National Chairman of APC.

After wide consultations and discussions with my family, friends and political associates, the APC chieftain said he decided to heed calls to contest for the office of the APC National Chairman.

Citing his wide experience as the immediate past National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the immediate past Secretary of the Board of Trustees of APGA, Shinkafi said he had what it “takes to run the affairs of the ruling party.”

If elected, APGA’s former national secretary said he would ensure that the values that birthed the ruling party in 2014 are preserved.

He said: “I will want to continue with the great job done by the Acting National Chairman His Excellency Malam Mai Bunu in re-organising and making the party the greatest party in Nigeria.

“If elected, I will also ensure that the era of impunity and imposing candidates against the will of the party’s teaming followers is gone, and the time to make hard and only decision that will serve in the interest of the general members even at the least level must be the only way out,” he said.

“In its bid to retain power in the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria in 2023, there is urgent need for the ruling party to look beyond personal interest to set its house in order by first of all ensuring that only a credible hand is ushered in to lead the party as the next national chairman.

“APC came with sound policies and programmes that would have salvaged the country but the party’s dream was short-lived because the forces that are not progressives joined the party through the backdoors only to win elections,” Shinkafi said.

He said the internal functions and wrangling within the ruling party made it to lose elections in Bauchi, Adamawa, Rivers, Imo, Oyo, Edo and Zamfara States among others apart from many legislative seats both at the states and National Assembly that were dashed away as results of poor handling of the party’s 2018 primaries.

Shinkafi, who was born on February 20, 1970 in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara, said the party currently “needs a leader who commands respect among his contemporaries, a man whose mind is bounded by reconciliatory traits and elder statesman who have paid a price for APC to survive against his personal interest.

“It will never be a plea bargain where personal interest supersede personal interest. The emergence of the ruling party from many political parties and subsequent defections at the aftermath of 2015 elections has been identified as some of the reasons why the party failed to implement its initial manifesto to get Nigeria on the right track again.

“The APC has very sound policies and programmes that are practicable, aimed at changing the fortunes of Nigerians can only be sustained if individuals who shared the party’s traits are allowed to lead as the National Chairman,” he said

Shinkafi, a graduate of Accounting from Plateau School of Accountancy and Management Sciences Studies, rose in ranks in the Sokoto State Civil Service to become an Acting Deputy Director, Internal Audit Sokoto State Hotels Service Management Board.

He joined politics and contested the chairmanship of Shinkafi Local Government on the platforms of All People Party (APP) and platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He was the State Secretary of United Nigeria People Party (UNPP) and later the State Chairman APGA, from where he became the National Secretary of the party.

Shinkafi contested as the Zamfara State governorship candidate on the platform of APGA in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.

He was a member of the National Caucus of APGA, Member National Executive Committee (NEC) of APGA and Secretary Board of Trustee of the party.