Former Nigerian senator Kabiru Marafa has defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), his aide said Thursday.
Marafa, who coordinated the Tinubu/Shettima 2023 campaign in Zamfara State, announced his decision after what his camp described as consultations with political allies.
The move “followed a strategic stakeholders’ meeting held in Kaduna State, where Senator Marafa consulted extensively with his political allies and supporters,” his new media aide, Mansur Haruna, said in a statement.
“After careful deliberations and consideration of the future direction of the political movement, Senator Marafa formally declared his decision to align with the African Democratic Congress,” the statement added.
While announcing his defection, Marafa accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of attempting to destabilise Nigeria’s democratic system.
“Speaking on the current national political climate, Senator Marafa criticised what he described as attempts by the ruling administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to create confusion and instability within opposition political parties,” the statement said.
He also alleged “political manipulations” by the APC, including attempts to exploit the National Identification Number (NIN) database for partisan political registration.
“He maintained, however, that no amount of political pressure or crisis would deter his movement from joining the ADC, stressing that the decision represents a firm commitment to liberate the people from what he termed ‘political bondage’,” the statement added.
Marafa, a former Zamfara commissioner, had longstanding disputes within the APC, including clashes with former governor Abdulaziz Yari and Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle over control of the party in the state.
He challenged the outcome of APC primaries in court ahead of the 2019 elections, a case that reached the Supreme Court, which later nullified the party’s victories in the state.
Although he briefly reconciled with Yari in 2021, their alliance collapsed again after the APC lost Zamfara to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.
