Nasiru Yahaya Isa was a prominent supporter of the APC in 2015, actively promoting the Aminu Waziri Tambuwal/Ahmed Aliyu governorship ticket under the slogans “The Winning Team” and “The Change We Can Trust” through his Danfilinge Development Foundation. He also backed the Buhari/Osinbajo presidential campaign, mobilising grassroots support as a member of the Buhari Support Group and Buhari/Osinbajo Vanguard at the state level.
In 2018, when Governor Tambuwal defected to the PDP, Nasiru remained with the APC and became part of the Secretariat for the 2019 Sokoto State Presidential/Governorship Campaign Council. The council was chaired by Alh. Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, with Alh. Yusuf Suleman as DG and Alh. Bello Sifawa as Head of the Secretariat. Other members included several who now hold key positions in the Sokoto State Government.
Nasiru also co-coordinated the 2019 APC Election Situation Room alongside Alh. Aminu Dikko, served on the APC–INEC Liaison Committee, and chaired the Social Media Groups Harmonisation Committee, bringing together various online support groups for more effective campaign coordination. After the APC lost the governorship election, he voluntarily stepped down as Executive Secretary of the Sokoto State Agency for the Control of AIDS, TB, and Leprosy, and was redeployed to Specialist Hospital, Sokoto.
In 2022, following the loss of Alh. Yusuf Suleman in the APC governorship primary, Nasiru—being from the same LGA—defected with him to the PDP, citing marginalisation of the Sokoto Eastern Senatorial District in the party’s zoning arrangement. In October 2022, he was appointed a Permanent Secretary in the Sokoto State Civil Service. However, in March 2023, after the PDP lost to APC, Nasiru and other senior officials voluntarily retired to avoid political intimidation.
Although his resignation letter did not state his next political move, reliable sources indicate that Nasiru’s quiet exit from the PDP is linked to the arrival of a powerful and influential new APC member in Sokoto East—a “dark horse” believed to significantly boost APC’s chances in the region. Known for his grassroots mobilisation skills and political experience, Nasiru’s alliance with this figure could reshape APC’s political fortunes in Sokoto East and the state at large.
By Abdulfatai Abdulsalam
