Gusau — The Zamfara chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has exposed a forged party membership card circulating in the state, describing it as a malicious attempt to tarnish the party’s image.
The State APC Publicity Secretary, Malam Yusuf Idris, revealed in a statement on Monday that the fake card bears the edited photograph of notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji, falsely portraying him as a registered APC member.
“This was carried out by mischievous elements unhappy with the smooth and coordinated manner of the ongoing e-registration of members in Zamfara,” Idris said.
He explained that the forgery is easily detectable, noting that the card shows the emboldened date “26th January” and a registration code starting with “26,” which actually belongs to Niger State, not Zamfara.
Idris stressed that no person can be registered without a valid NIN number, which Turji does not have, making the fake card entirely invalid. He also criticized the card’s depiction of Turji in a military uniform with a gun, which is inconsistent with NIMC registration standards.
“The forgers ignored that proper enrollment requires full personal information before capturing a photograph. This card is nonsense from start to finish,” Idris said.
According to preliminary investigations, the forged card is linked to Babangida Aliyu Shinkafi (Waziri), an associate of Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, who had been suspended from the e-registration programme for dubious conduct. The card reportedly first appeared on his Facebook page.
The APC in Zamfara has distanced itself completely from the fake membership card, with registration number ID: APC 261113000102, and warned the public to disregard it.
“We have reported the forgery to security agencies, and we are confident the perpetrators will be apprehended and prosecuted soon,” Idris added.
The party urged citizens to remain vigilant and not be misled by the fake document, reaffirming the integrity of its ongoing e-registration process in Zamfara.
