At least five political appointees of Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda have resigned from their positions within a matter of days, raising questions about internal stability in his administration ahead of the 2027 general elections. The most recent departure was that of Muhammad Shitu Maslaha, Deputy Commander of the Katsina State Hisbah Board in charge of Operations, who submitted his resignation letter on October 6, 2026. He left one day after the Commander-General of the Hisbah Board, Dr Aminu Usman, also known as Abu Ammar, vacated his position on Monday, October 5, 2026.
Other Officials Who Left the Radda Administration
Among those who resigned is Alhaji Kabir Bature Sarkin Alhazai, Chairman of the Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board, who stepped down after serving since his appointment by Governor Radda in 2023. Fadila Sani Dalhatu, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Katsina State Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation, submitted her resignation on October 5, while Alhaji Abubakar Soja Tsanni, Special Adviser on Youth Development, also left his post. Sources within Government House told Daily Trust that more departures could follow in the coming days.
Daily Trust reported that earlier in 2026, two members of the State Executive Council also resigned. Katsina Commissioner for Environment Hamza Suleiman Faskari stepped down on March 30 to contest an elective position in 2027, while Special Assistant Shehu Abdu Daura resigned in March to pursue the APC primaries for the Katsina North Senatorial District.
What Political Observers Are Saying
None of the outgoing officials publicly attributed their exit to any grievance with Governor Radda, and the state government has not described the departures as connected or as evidence of any internal crisis. However, some sources within the Katsina APC told reporters that certain former appointees had moved closer to the political camp of Ibrahim Kabir Masari, Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Political Affairs. Other sources pointed to an alleged remark by Governor Radda urging appointees who felt unable to contribute meaningfully to step aside, though this could not be independently verified.
Ahmed Baba Kado of the Good Governance Initiative said the resignations may signal underlying divisions within the Katsina APC, warning that prolonged internal disagreements could weaken the party's prospects in 2027 if left unresolved. Dr Bala Abdullahi, a lecturer at Umaru Musa Yar'Adua University in Katsina, offered a different view, describing the exits as a normal feature of political life, driven by dissatisfaction or the pursuit of personal political ambitions. He cautioned, however, that the timing carries potential implications for the ruling party.
Political Activity Intensifies in Katsina
The exits come as political activity intensifies in Katsina, following the recent return of former Secretary to the State Government Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa and other politicians to the APC in the presence of Vice-President Kashim Shettima. Legit.ng earlier reported that Alhaji Kabir Bature Sarkin Alhazai, chairman of the Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board, resigned from his position. Sarkin Alhazai addressed his resignation letter to the Secretary to the Katsina State Government but gave no reason for leaving. His exit makes him the third political appointee under Governor Dikko Radda to leave office in recent days. The wave of resignations, occurring within days, has drawn attention across political circles, with observers linking the exits to alleged intra-party divisions within the Katsina APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
