2027: ADC Questions APC’s Priority as Insecurity Ravages Zamfara

…Opposition Party Says Ruling Government is Focused on Elections Instead of Security

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has questioned the priorities of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as insecurity continues to devastate communities in Zamfara State, with the opposition party accusing the government of being more focused on the 2027 elections than on protecting lives.

CDA News Nigeria reports that the ADC’s criticism comes amid escalating violence in Zamfara, one of Nigeria’s northwestern states most affected by armed banditry. Recent data indicates that the North West region accounted for a significant portion of violent incidents and kidnap victims, with attacks concentrated in Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kaduna states .

CDA News Nigeria gathered that just months ago, gunmen killed at least 17 farmers in Zamfara’s Maradun district, attacking farmlands where residents were working their fields . Community leaders confirmed that the assailants arrived on motorcycles and opened fire on farmers, with five others injured and three critically . The incident came amid growing fears that insecurity could disrupt agricultural production during the rainy season, with many farmers across northern Nigeria reportedly abandoning their fields due to repeated attacks and extortion by armed groups .

The ADC has reportedly argued that the APC government is diverting attention from these pressing security challenges by focusing on political maneuvering ahead of the 2027 general elections. The opposition party is said to have called on the Federal Government to deploy additional security forces to Zamfara and other affected states, rather than engaging in what they describe as premature electioneering.

Zamfara has long been plagued by armed gangs known as bandits who carry out kidnappings for ransom, cattle rustling, and attacks on rural communities . Just days before the farmer killings, 39 community elders from another village in Maradun district were reportedly abducted while attempting to negotiate a peace agreement with a local gang leader to allow residents access to their farmlands . The ADC contends that such incidents demonstrate a failure of the current administration’s security strategy.