The Zamfara chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over a forged party membership card in circulation, describing it as a mischievous attempt to damage the party’s reputation.
The State APC Publicity Secretary, Malam Yusuf Idris, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Gusau. He said the party discovered a fake APC membership card bearing an edited photograph of notorious bandits’ kingpin, Bello Turji, falsely portraying him as a registered party member.
Idris said the forgery was the handiwork of elements unhappy with the smooth and coordinated conduct of the ongoing APC e-registration exercise in the state. He noted that the fake card was easily detectable, citing obvious irregularities such as an emboldened “26” in the date section and the use of a widely known photograph of Turji.
According to him, APC registration requires a valid National Identification Number (NIN), which Turji does not possess, making the claim of his registration impossible. He added that NIMC procedures would not allow the capture of an individual in military attire with a weapon, as seen on the forged card.
Idris further explained that the registration ID code on the fake card began with “26,” which belongs to Niger State, whereas Zamfara State’s code starts with “36,” clearly exposing the forgery. He said records from Kware Ward showed no registration matching the fake ID number or name.
He revealed that preliminary investigations had linked the forged card to Babangida Aliyu Shinkafi (Waziri), an associate of Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, who was recently suspended from participating in the e-registration exercise due to alleged misconduct. Idris said the fake card first surfaced on Shinkafi’s Facebook page.
The APC spokesperson stressed that the party completely dissociates itself from the fake membership card with registration number ID: APC 261113000102, urging the public to disregard it.
He added that the matter had been reported to security agencies and expressed confidence that those behind the forgery would be arrested and prosecuted.