Sokoto Politics: APC Declares Tambuwal “Politically Retired”

The political atmosphere in Sokoto State reached a boiling point this week as the All Progressives Congress (APC) launched a scathing critique of Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. During a high-stakes stakeholders’ meeting in Tambuwal Local Government Area, party leaders didn’t just criticize the former governor; they effectively wrote his political obituary. The message from the ruling party was blunt: the man who once held the state’s highest office has become a stranger to his own community.

Isa Sadiq Achida, the APC State Chairman, led the charge, accusing Tambuwal of systemic neglect during his eight-year tenure. Achida argued that the former governor’s home base was largely forgotten while he was in office, leaving a legacy of “stagnation and abandoned projects.” According to the chairman, the local government areas are only now feeling the impact of governance under the current administration of Governor Ahmed Aliyu.

The APC specifically took aim at Tambuwal’s recent attempts to form a new political coalition. Achida dismissed the move as “old wine in a new bottle,” mocking the idea that a group of familiar faces could present themselves as a fresh movement. He warned the youth of Tambuwal not to be swayed by “recycled politicians” who move from party to party solely to preserve their own relevance. To the APC leadership, these alliances are nothing more than a desperate attempt by a “politically retired” figure to regain a foothold in a state that has already moved on.

In sharp contrast to the alleged failures of the past, the meeting served as a showcase for Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s “9-Point Smart Agenda.” Speakers at the event highlighted the tangible changes seen within the last year, including the appointment of 83 Tambuwal indigenes to various political offices and the distribution of financial support to over 8,000 residents. The approval of three new mega secondary schools for the area was cited as proof that the current government prioritizes grassroots development over political grandstanding.

The event also doubled as a victory lap for the APC, as they formally welcomed defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including three former councillors. Achida assured the newcomers that they would enjoy equal rights within the party, urging them to return to their wards and begin mobilizing for the 2027 general elections. He framed the APC as a “family” that values loyalty and results, contrasting it with what he described as the fragmented and self-serving nature of the opposition.

The rhetoric grew even sharper when the discussion turned to the state’s financial health. The APC chairman claimed that while the previous administration left behind a “collapsed state” burdened by debt and incomplete infrastructure, Governor Aliyu has managed to fund major projects—including the revival of abandoned water schemes and housing estates—without taking a single new loan. He attributed this to “prudent financial management” and a genuine commitment to the welfare of the people.

As the meeting concluded, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Aminu Dikko, dismissed rumors of his own political ambitions, insisting that in Sokoto, “the head of the family decides” the direction. This emphasis on unity and hierarchy was a parting shot at Tambuwal, whose political career the APC claims was built on the backs of godfathers he later abandoned. The party leaders left the venue confident that any new coalition led by the former governor would be “dead on arrival.”

While Tambuwal’s camp has yet to issue a formal rebuttal to these specific local government allegations, the battle lines for 2027 are clearly being drawn. The APC’s strategy is simple: paint the former governor as an absentee leader and a “recycled” politician, while tying the current administration to visible, localized progress. In the heart of Tambuwal’s own territory, the ruling party is betting that the promise of continuity will far outweigh the appeal of a new, yet familiar, opposition alliance.