Former Zamfara Central Senator Kabiru Marafa has made a declaration to slash one million votes from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s total in the upcoming 2027 presidential race. This promise comes amid his recent exit from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing dissatisfaction with the party’s leadership.
Marafa, who served as Zamfara State Coordinator for the Tinubu/Shettima campaign during the 2023 elections, announced his intention in a recent interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today program. Expressing deep discontent, he accused the President of adopting what he described as a “use-and-dump” leadership approach, which he said betrayed grassroots supporters in Zamfara.
The seasoned politician, who held a Senate seat from 2011 to 2019, dismissed critics who label him as politically insignificant and asserted that the 2027 polls would affirm his influence. He expressed growing disenchantment within Zamfara’s political class, noting the surprising victory of Governor Dauda Lawal in 2023, a newcomer who unseated formidable political veterans, which clearly showed the extent of public frustration.
Marafa argued that Tinubu’s success in Zamfara last time hinged largely on assurances of reforming the APC’s patronage network, a pledge he claims was not honored.
Instead of eradicating the culture of ‘monkey dey work, baboon dey chop’, the President entrenched it, institutionalizing a system that benefits the few at the expense of the many…I’m going to assure you this today, I will deduct one million votes that the President secured in 2023. Mark my words, this is not empty talk. With hard work and by the special grace of God, I am going to make this happen. The people of Zamfara were promised change, but what they experienced was a betrayal. This is why key players who truly matter in the state are rallying together against the APC
Despite Tinubu’s nationwide triumph, with nearly 8.8 million votes in 2023, the APC suffered setbacks in Zamfara at the state level, losing the governorship to the PDP’s Lawal. Marafa’s faction within the APC felt marginalized and excluded from meaningful political appointments and development projects, fueling his eventual departure.
Marafa’s resignation and vow to diminish Tinubu’s vote count shows a drastic realignment in Northern Nigerian politics ahead of 2027. His actions portrayed tensions within the APC and hint at potential political shifts that could redefine alliances and voter loyalties in the coming years.
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