A fresh crisis is brewing within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State as political differences involving Governor Dikko Umar Radda and the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Political Affairs, Ibrahim Masari, have intensified ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The latest development followed the questioning of two senior security aides attached to Governor Radda at the Force Headquarters in Abuja over alleged destruction of campaign billboards bearing images of Masari and President Tinubu in Katsina.
The officials, the governor’s Aide-de-Camp, SP Abdulganiyu Bello, and his Chief Security Officer, DSP Hassan Bello, were invited to Abuja last week in connection with the alleged incident.
The billboards were reportedly erected along the Modoji Junction-Katsina Government House Road and featured prominent images of President Tinubu and Masari, with accounts differing over how prominently the governor’s image appeared.
Police spokesman, CSP Anietie Iniedu, however, denied reports that the two officials had been arrested or detained.
“They were invited for an interview. They were not arrested or detained,” Iniedu revealed.
There were conflicting reports about the whereabouts of the two officers after the questioning, with some sources claiming they had not been seen in Katsina following their trip to Abuja.
The incident has ignited public attention particularly after Governor Radda and some of his close associates were conspicuously absent from the recently announced APC Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election.
President Tinubu constituted the campaign council with former Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General. While the council contains several senior politicians from across the country, the absence of Radda and some of his key associates from the published list has fuelled speculation about his relationship with influential Katsina politicians operating from Abuja.
Masari is regarded as one of the influential political figures from Katsina close to the President and has played a prominent role in the affairs of the ruling party at the national level.
He also served as a placeholder for Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election while the President resolved the issue of his running mate.
The latest developments have revived long-standing claims of divisions between two broad camps within the Katsina APC. One is commonly associated with party members and political actors operating within the state and loyal to Governor Radda, while the other is linked to influential Katsina politicians holding positions and maintaining strong connections in Abuja.
Governor Radda has previously alleged that some political forces operating from Abuja were working against his administration, although he has not always publicly identified the individuals he accused.
The speculation gained further attention following the removal of former Minister of Housing, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, from the Federal Executive Council.
Dangiwa, who had previously served as Secretary to the Katsina State Government under Radda, was replaced at the federal level by Mutaqa Rabe Darma, a politician reportedly aligned with Masari.
Political analyst, Dr Bashir Ibrahim Kurfi, said the omission of Radda and his close associates from the President’s campaign structure was difficult to ignore in the circumstances.
“The failure to include the Katsina State Governor and his close associates in President Bola Tinubu’s campaign committee clearly indicates that there is a strained relationship between the Governor and Abuja, as widely alleged,” Kurfi said.
He warned that the disagreement could have consequences for the ruling party if it was allowed to persist.
“Even though the APC in Katsina has been trying to conceal the rift, it is obvious that if this continues, it will seriously affect the party’s success in 2027,” he added.
An APC chieftain in the state, Musa Nuhu Gafiya, called for reconciliation between the governor and influential Katsina politicians in Abuja.
“Those in Abuja and Governor Dikko Radda should reconcile if there is any disagreement between them, because the alleged APC crisis is being manipulated on social media by the opposition, which is further fanning the flames of the issue,” he said.
Gafiya added, “Everyone’s desire is for the APC to succeed from the top to the bottom.”
However, officials close to Governor Radda have rejected suggestions that there is a serious disagreement between the governor and the Presidency or between the governor and Masari.
The governor’s Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ya’u Umar Gwajo-Gwajo, described the situation as normal political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking to JBC Hausa, Gwajo-Gwajo said there was no unusual disagreement between Radda and President Tinubu, insisting that the governor remained the state coordinator of Tinubu’s 2027 campaign.
“Governor Radda has never shown any sign of having issues with the presidency. What is happening now is just politics because the campaign has begun,” he said.
“As far as we are concerned, there is no form of crisis. Regarding the issue of the detention of some people from Katsina, we are not aware of it,” he added.
The governor’s Director-General of Media, Maiwada Danmalam, also said he was unaware of any political dispute between Radda and Masari.
“I am not aware of any political rift between the governor and Malam Kabir Ibrahim Masari. In fact, I am hearing this from you for the first time,” Danmalam said.
He acknowledged that he had seen reports about the alleged disagreement but said he had no information confirming the claims.
“I also saw a story published by one of the national online media organisations. Another reporter called me to clarify the issue, but honestly, I have no information about what is being reported,” he said.
Danmalam urged journalists and members of the public to exercise caution when discussing politically sensitive issues involving prominent figures.
“Sensitive issues such as this need to be handled with utmost care. We should be careful not to create unnecessary tension or give room to speculate where there are no confirmed facts,” he added.
Some residents said the governor’s image appeared only sparingly on some of the billboards, while others claimed that some posters featured the President and other prominent politicians but gave little prominence to Radda.
It was also reported that a man identified as Aminu Sanda, popularly known as Aminu Nasta and described as a leader of a political group in Katsina, was arrested in connection with the billboard incident.
Meanwhile, following the announcement of his campaign council, President Tinubu has charged members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council to work towards retaining power in 2027.
“We have delivered on our campaign promises and set our country on a path of economic progress. We are definitely out of the dark tunnel and are now at the cusp of reaping the benefits of a prosperous economy that will benefit all Nigerians,” Tinubu said while inaugurating the campaign structure.
He urged the campaign team to take the administration’s message to Nigerians.
“As we march into the campaign season, we have many achievements to trumpet—let us confidently showcase our record and inspire hope in every corner of our nation,” the President said.
Tinubu also called on his supporters to defeat the opposition at the polls.
“Let us soundly defeat all those forces who plan to take our country backwards,” he added.