The Northern Elders Progressive Group has commended the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, for what it described as his role in ensuring a peaceful and credible rerun primary election for the Zamfara North Senatorial District.
The group said the emergence of incumbent Senator Sahabi Ya’u Kaura as the party’s candidate reflected the APC leadership’s commitment to internal democracy, fairness and transparency.
The rerun primary was held on Monday, November 2, following a Court of Appeal judgment in Sokoto which upheld an earlier Federal High Court decision nullifying the party’s previous primary. The legal challenge was instituted by APC aspirant Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, who alleged irregularities in the earlier exercise.
Announcing the results, the Chairman of the APC Zamfara North Senatorial District Primary Election Committee, Dr Auwal Abdullahi Aliyu, said Kaura secured 49,176 votes, while his challenger, Tijjani Yahaya Kaura, polled 9,628 votes.
Speaking with journalists in Kaduna on Tuesday, the group’s North-West Executive Secretary, Abbas Sarki, said Yilwatda demonstrated leadership by allowing the electoral committee to conduct the exercise independently without interference from the party’s national leadership.
He described the APC chairman’s neutrality and commitment to a fair process as key factors in the successful conduct of the rerun.
“Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda has demonstrated that true leadership is about creating an enabling environment for a transparent and credible process,” Sarki said.
He added that reports from the group’s monitoring team indicated that the exercise was conducted fairly, despite alleged attempts by some individuals to undermine the process.
The group also commended President Bola Tinubu for his leadership and support for the APC in the North-West, particularly in the areas of security, economic growth and infrastructure development.
It urged political stakeholders in Zamfara State to embrace unity and reconcile their differences ahead of the 2027 general elections, while congratulating Kaura and calling on other aspirants to support his candidacy.
