Former Senator representing Zamfara Central, Kabiru Marafa, has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of sidelining loyal allies after assuming office, describing him as a “use-and-dump” politician.
Marafa, who recently resigned from the All Progressives Congress after consulting with his political base, made the allegation during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.
He cited worsening insecurity, systemic injustice, and what he described as the continued neglect of Zamfara State in federal appointments as key reasons for his exit from the ruling party.
“Thank you for alluding to the fact that because I didn’t get what I wanted, I dumped him (Tinubu). I want to ask you, is politics slavery? Why do you think I joined politics? Why is Mr President himself in politics?” he asked.
Marafa emphasized that his decision was not rooted in personal ambition, but rather a principled stand against marginalization, stressing that he would never allow his people to be mistreated under any administration.
“If Mr President didn’t get the opportunity he got now to be the President, would he have been able to allocate resources of over N3tn to Lagos State? Would he have been able to appoint the number of aides from Lagos State, where he lost elections and won in Zamfara State?” he queried.
“I’m not in politics to serve anybody. My parents were not slaves. I have never been a slave to anybody; I am in politics to impact the lives of my people.”
Marafa expressed frustration that despite being one of only two North-West states where President Tinubu won during the 2023 general elections, Zamfara was allocated just one slot in the Federal Executive Council — the Minister of State for Defence — while other states, including those Tinubu lost, received more appointments.
“The Constitution says every state must be represented in the Federal Executive Council. In the whole seven states of the North-West, Mr President secured victory in only Jigawa and Zamfara. Yet, most of the states got two ministerial slots, while we were left with only the Minister of State for Defence. We felt slighted by that position, regardless of who it was given to.”
He further argued that his frustrations were not isolated, pointing to what he described as a pattern of betrayal affecting other prominent APC figures.
“Compare this with Lagos: Mr President lost Lagos. How many slots did Lagos get? How many did Ogun get? Looking at the treatment meted out on Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, looking at the treatment meted out on Abdullahi Ganduje, looking at the treatment meted out on me, we are now convinced that Mr President is a use-and-dump leader. That is the truth about it.”
While confirming his departure from the APC, Marafa said he has not yet decided on his next political destination. However, he made it clear that he remains focused on advocating for the interests of his constituents.
“Anybody can call me names, but I am in politics to get positions and to impact the lives of my people,” he said, adding that he would take time to “figure things out” before aligning with another political platform.
