Kaura Defeats Yari, Shinkafi in APC Fresh Zamfara Senatorial Primary

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State, Yahaya Tijjani Kaura, has emerged as the party’s candidate for Zamfara North Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Kaura secured the ticket after polling 16,758 votes in a fresh senatorial primary conducted by the party in Gusau on Monday.

He defeated his closest challenger, Sahabi Yari Alhaji, who scored 1,465 votes, while another aspirant, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, garnered 1,447 votes.

The fresh primary followed a ruling by the Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto, which last month nullified the APC primary election for Zamfara North Senatorial District over alleged gross non-compliance with the party’s guidelines and provisions of the Electoral Act.

Justice Tunde Oyebamiji Awotoye, who delivered the judgment, upheld an earlier decision of the Federal High Court, Gusau, which had in August 2026 voided the disputed primary election.

The appellate court also held that the respondent, Hon. Abdullahi Shinkafi, had proved his case, expressing reservations over the circumstances surrounding the earlier election, particularly the declaration of 70,000 votes in a senatorial district with only 26,000 registered party members.

Declaring the results of Monday’s rerun, the Returning Officer of the APC Senatorial Primary Election Committee, Alhaji Sani Abdullahi, said Kaura satisfied the requirements of the party’s constitution and electoral guidelines and secured the highest number of valid votes cast.

He subsequently declared Kaura the winner and returned him as the APC senatorial candidate for Zamfara North.

Kaura’s emergence followed a fresh electoral process ordered after the judicial nullification of the previous exercise, which had thrown the party’s senatorial nomination in the district into uncertainty.

With the declaration, the APC has concluded its rerun primary for the Zamfara North senatorial ticket, paving the way for Kaura to represent the party in the contest for the National Assembly seat in the 2027 general elections.