Former Senator Kabiru Marafa, who represented Zamfara Central in the 7th and 8th Senate, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of neglecting residents in the face of worsening insecurity while only showing up in communities with money and security vans during elections.
Marafa, speaking in Hausa in a video clip circulated after two days of consultations with party members on APC’s performance in the past two years, said the party had failed to protect the people.
He lamented that residents of Zamfara have been left unable to defend themselves against persistent attacks, accusing the government of failing to fulfill its primary responsibility of safeguarding lives and property.
“For the issue of insecurity in Zamfara State, the people have had enough and have tried their best to defend themselves,” he said.
However, the government has neglected and abandoned them to their own devices. But during the election period, you will see security vans, motorcycles, and money pumping into the nooks and crannies of the villages with politicians to win the heart of the electorate.”
He further criticised the APC government for failing to deliver on the promises made by the President (Bola Tinubu) regarding security, despite selecting a Defence Minister from Zamfara and the northern region.
Marafa said, “This is not what the APC government promised us. The President promised us that he would look into the issue of insecurity and resolve it. And this is the reason the president picked his defence minister from Zamfara state and the north, but two years gone and nothing has changed.”
Marafa also drew attention to the internal division and betrayal within the APC, describing the party as being split between the camps of Mai Mala Buni, Governor of Yobe State, and Bello Matawalle, former Governor of Zamfara State.
He said, “In the state, the betrayal is at its highest peak because since Bala Buni took over the affairs of the party from former governor Matawalle, they have not held a single meeting up till this moment.
“The party has been divided into two parts: one part is for Bala Buni, and the other part is for Matawalle. This is two years and six months now, we ask them to resolve their differences, and nothing has been done.”
Concluding his statement, Marafa announced his departure from the APC and hinted at forming or joining a new political party.
“So because of these, I have decided to quit the APC party and I will continue my consultation to see if in no distant time I will announce my new party,” he said.