A senatorial aspirant in Zamfara State Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi has called for an end to what he described as the longstanding marginalisation of Zamfara North in the distribution of political offices.
He advocated greater equity in rotating senatorial representation arguing that qualified individuals from the district had been denied opportunities to serve in the National Assembly.
Shinkafi made the appeal during a media briefing at his residence in Samaru Gusau where he identified Shinkafi Zurmi and Birnin Magaji as well as nine political wards in Kaura Namoda as areas affected by the alleged political exclusion.
He said the district had produced professionals and experienced individuals including medical doctors consultants military generals and former ministers who were qualified to represent the people.
The aspirant questioned why political representation opportunities appeared to favour individuals from outside the district despite qualified candidates within Zamfara North.
According to him the situation had denied many capable people the opportunity to contribute to governance and lawmaking at the national level.
‘This is the time to end the nonsense of marginalisation. There should be equity and fairness in the sharing of political offices’ he said.
The aspirant particularly appealed to younger people to join the campaign for a more equitable distribution of political positions arguing that the same individuals should not hold political offices indefinitely.
Dr Shinkafi also questioned why people in their seventies should continue to occupy positions when younger and capable individuals in their thirties were equally qualified to serve.
He criticised what he described as the prolonged occupation of political and traditional positions saying there should be opportunities for new people to emerge and contribute to development.
The aspirant said his concern stemmed from an imbalance in the historical distribution of senatorial representation in Zamfara State.
He maintained that other marginalised parts of Zamfara North deserved a fair opportunity to produce a senator and should not continue to be sidelined in political arrangements.
Beyond the question of representation he lamented the state of basic infrastructure in the district particularly electricity water supply healthcare and education.
He said many communities still lacked reliable electricity and potable water while public hospitals were in poor condition.
The aspirant also expressed concern over the limited number of higher institutions serving the area arguing that inadequate educational opportunities had limited young people’s prospects.
‘With good education we can change the world. Education is something we must fight for’ he said.
He urged political leaders to prioritise development and to ensure that elected representatives were judged by their performance and contributions to their constituencies.
The aspirant said his campaign against marginalisation was driven by the need to secure equal political opportunities across all parts of Zamfara State particularly Zamfara North.
He called on younger people and other stakeholders to support the demand for equity and a fairer distribution of political offices.