From Allies to Rivals
OpenLife News reports that what started as a political partnership in Katsina State by friendly political heavy weights has now degenerated into an open rift.
The State, known as “Home of Hospitality” is no longer hospitable to political stakeholders, investors and enterprise essentially due to how the relationship between Governor Dikko Radda and Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Ibrahim Masari, has collapsed.
This development is understandably adversely affecting the State’s fragile security system and causing fears in the minds of players in the business circles — with fresh accusations of mismanaged security and governance now at the center of the crisis.
The latest flashpoint came last week with the interrogation of the governor’s top security aides in Abuja, an incident that has split the APC in Katsina into two warring camps ahead of 2027.
ADC and CSO Grilled Over Billboard Controversy
Governor Radda’s Aide-de-Camp, SP Abdulganiyu Bello, and Chief Security Officer, DSP Hassan Bello, were invited to the Force Headquarters in Abuja for questioning.
The issue: alleged destruction of billboards along Modoji Junction–Government House Road in Katsina. Residents said the billboards prominently displayed President Bola Tinubu and Masari, while the governor’s image was either small or absent.
The Police PRO,CSP Anietie Iniedu, denied arrest claims, saying “They were invited for an interview. They were not arrested or detained.”
However, sources say the two officers have not been seen in Katsina State since. The governor’s Chief of Staff, Abdulkadir Nasir, was reportedly in Abuja to secure their release. A political group leader, Aminu Sanda alias Aminu Nasta, was also said to have been arrested over the incident.
From 2023 Allies to 2025 Rivals
The fallout reflects a deeper power struggle. Masari, who stood as Tinubu’s placeholder running mate in 2023, remains very close to the President and influential in federal APC matters concerning Katsina.
Tension escalated after Governor Radda and his allies were excluded from the recently released list of the Presidential Campaign Council. The removal of Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa — Radda’s former SSG — from the Federal Executive Council and his replacement with Engr. Mutaqa Rabe Darma, believed to be loyal to Masari, further widened the gap.
The crisis has now produced two factions with names like “Katsina APC” – State-based members loyal to Governor Radda and “Katsina/Abuja APC” – Federal appointees and politicians loyal to Masari. So bad is the situation that Governor Radda has publicly alleged that “forces in Abuja” are working to undermine his administration, promising to name them “when the time is right.”
Worsening Security Situation Compounds Governance Crisis
As the political battle intensifies, Katsina’s security situation is getting worse. Critics say the infighting is distracting government from tackling banditry.
In the last three months, attacks have surged across Batsari, Faskari, Jibia, Kankara, Safana, and Dutsin-ma. Reports include mass kidnappings on highways and in rural communities, villages paying protection levies to bandits to avoid attacks and schools shut down in over 5 LGAs due to insecurity.
In like manner, farmers are abandoning farms ahead of harvest season, raising fears of food shortages
IDP camps in Katsina metropolis overwhelmed with new arrivals.
“While they are fighting over who controls billboards in Abuja, our people are being killed in the villages,” a traditional ruler in Faskari lamented.
Governor Radda came into office with a promise to prioritize security. But stakeholders now question whether the political crisis is weakening coordination with federal security agencies and slowing response to attacks.
Reviewing the situation, a stakeholder and political analyst, Dr. Bashir Ibrahim Kurfi, said “The failure to include the Governor in Tinubu’s campaign committee shows a strained relationship. If this continues, it will seriously affect APC’s performance in Katsina in 2027.”
However, with 2027 approaching, Katsina APC faces a three-front battle: an internal power struggle, accusations of governance failure, and a deteriorating security situation that threatens lives and the 2023 voting bloc that delivered for Tinubu.
For now, from allies to rivals, the Radda-Masari feud has turned Katsina politics toxic — and residents are asking if governance and security will be sacrificed on the altar of 2027 politics.
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