Former National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing Senator Abdul’Aziz Abubakar Yari as Director-General of the Tinubu/Shettima 2027 Presidential Campaign Council.
Shinkafi, who is also an aspirant for the Zamfara North Senatorial District in 2027 and Patron of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council in 2023, described the appointment as a strategic decision that demonstrated President Tinubu’s commitment to political inclusivity, competence and electoral preparedness.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Shinkafi said Yari possessed the political structure, experience and loyalty required to lead the APC campaign to victory in the 2027 presidential election.
He described the former Zamfara governor as “a man of structure,” with extensive experience in grassroots mobilisation, party organisation and national politics.
According to him, Yari’s upbringing and educational background contributed significantly to his leadership qualities. He noted that Yari was raised in the respected Kayayen Mafara family, a lineage he described as being associated with integrity, scholarship, community service and human development.
Shinkafi also highlighted Yari’s combination of Islamic and Western education, noting that his academic journey culminated in a master’s degree from the University of Salford.
He traced Yari’s political career from the grassroots in Zamfara State, where he served as State Secretary and later State Chairman of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
Shinkafi said Yari played a major role in the campaign that secured the re-election of former Zamfara Governor Ahmad Sani Yarima in 2003, an achievement which, according to him, established Yari as a capable political organiser and strategist.
He further recalled Yari’s subsequent service as National Treasurer of the ANPP and his election to the House of Representatives, where he represented Anka/Talata Mafara Federal Constituency between 2007 and 2011.
The former APGA national secretary also pointed to Yari’s role in the formation of the APC, particularly his decision as governor of Zamfara State to support the establishment of the party despite operating as an opposition governor at the time.
Shinkafi argued that Yari’s understanding of party structures, traditional institutions, women and youth organisations, coupled with his political networks across the country, would be valuable to the APC’s 2027 campaign.
He said the senator’s experience as a former governor and serving member of the 10th Senate positioned him to effectively coordinate the campaign for the re-election of President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
“Senator Yari stands today as an undeniable pillar of political strength in Zamfara, across Northern Nigeria, and indeed throughout the entire Federation,” Shinkafi said.
He called on APC members, stakeholders and Nigerians who support democratic stability and national development to cooperate with the campaign council under Yari’s leadership.
Shinkafi expressed confidence that the council would operate with discipline and focus and ultimately deliver victory for the Tinubu/Shettima ticket and the APC in the 2027 presidential election.
