The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State, Alhaji Isa Sadiq Achida, has defended Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, dismissing political criticisms directed at the party leader.

Addressing journalists in Sokoto, Achida insisted that Senator Wamakko remains a towering figure in the state’s politics and cautioned that his goodwill and generosity should not be “repaid with betrayal or insults.”

He singled out Senator Ibrahim Lamido, who represents the Sokoto East senatorial district, accusing him of working against the APC from within.

Achida described Lamido as “a Zamfara indigene with no political future in Sokoto,” declaring that the era of non-indigenes exploiting the state’s hospitality for political advantage was over.

“Senator Ibrahim Lamido is not from Sokoto State; he is from Zamfara. If he wishes to contest in 2027, he should do so in his home state,” Achida said. “He is free to reside here like every other law-abiding Nigerian, but certainly not as a political representative of our people.”

The APC chairman dismissed claims that Lamido is leading a faction within the party, insisting that there is nothing to reconcile with him.

“The APC did absolutely nothing to him. He has been the one waging a relentless campaign against the party. Even if reconciliation were to occur, we would never trust him with the senatorial ticket again.” he stated.

Describing Lamido as a political liability, Achida noted that the senator failed to deliver his polling unit in the 2023 general elections.

“We gave him the platform and the structure, and he turned against us. His political career is over. Both the APC and the people have disowned him,” he said.

Achida also dismissed the influence of former Senator Abubakar Umar Gada, who recently claimed to have attracted APC members into the African Democratic Congress (ADC), part of a coalition seeking to challenge the ruling party in 2027.

“In the 2023 governorship election, Gada secured just over 3,500 votes across the entire state — less than what a strong candidate gets in one polling ward. He has no base and no future in Sokoto politics,” Achida remarked.

He maintained that the APC in Sokoto remains united under Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto and the guidance of Senator Wamakko. Reports of divisions within the party, he argued, are exaggerated.

“Our party is not under any threat from these self-serving individuals. The real APC is intact, working, and delivering the dividends of democracy to the people. And the people of Sokoto State have seen the difference,” Achida said.