The political camp of former Zamfara State Governor and Senator, Abdul’aziz Yari, has rejected allegations that he is financially supporting Bilyaminu Yusuf Shinkafi, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Zamfara State ahead of the 2027 general elections. The camp described the allegation as false and accused political opponents of attempting to damage Yari’s reputation following his appointment as Director-General of President Bola Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council.
The denial was made by Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, a former national secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and an aspirant for the Zamfara North senatorial seat. He maintained that the claims were politically motivated and intended to create distrust around Yari’s political activities. According to him, the relationship between Yari and Bilyaminu Yusuf Shinkafi is based on family ties rather than political sponsorship. He explained that Bilyaminu is a cousin of Yari’s wife, but this connection does not mean that the former governor is supporting his governorship ambition.
Sani Shinkafi further stated that Bilyaminu had previously sought the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket to contest for the Zamfara North senatorial seat ahead of the 2027 elections. However, the party’s screening committee did not clear him to participate, after which he joined the ADC to pursue his political ambition.
The statement also addressed allegations linking Yari to eight suspended members of the Zamfara State House of Assembly who recently resigned from the APC. Shinkafi insisted that the lawmakers were not Yari’s political allies. He explained that five of the lawmakers were originally elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while three were elected on the APC platform during the 2023 general elections.
The lawmakers were suspended on February 26, 2024, over allegations of misconduct and other violations of the Assembly’s rules. Their suspension reportedly continued even after Governor Dauda Lawal defected from the PDP to the APC in March 2026. The affected legislators had also petitioned the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions over their prolonged suspension and the withholding of their salaries and allowances.
According to Shinkafi, Yari had provided financial assistance to the suspended lawmakers and made efforts to resolve the disagreement peacefully. However, these efforts did not produce the desired outcome.
In conclusion, Yari’s camp urged members of the public to disregard the allegations linking him to the ADC governorship candidate. Shinkafi reaffirmed Yari’s commitment to supporting President Tinubu’s re-election campaign in 2027. He maintained that the allegations were attempts by political opponents to undermine Yari’s credibility and political influence in zamfara state.