Uba Sani Aims for 3 Million Votes in Kaduna as Key El-Rufai Allies Join APC

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has set a goal of three million votes for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections. This announcement follows the defection of Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, the former Commissioner of Finance in Kaduna, along with other notable politicians from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Mr Sani made the announcement on Saturday at an event in Zaria where he welcomed Mr Sa’idu and other defectors into the APC.

Mr Sa’idu, who was once Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Finance under former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, stated that over 200,000 ADC members and supporters had joined APC through his political group, Kaduna De-Initiatives.

Other key defectors include Jafaru Sani, a former education commissioner under Mr El-Rufai, and former Senator Suleiman Abdu Kwari, who also served as finance commissioner during the past administration.

Political Shift in Kaduna

The defections signal a major political shift in Kaduna as many figures linked to Mr El-Rufai’s government move to the party led by his successor.

At the event, Mr Sani said the APC has raised its target in Kaduna from two million to three million votes. He noted the increasing number of supporters joining the party.

He mentioned that there are 4.6 million registered voters in the state and claimed that 96 percent have collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

"Before now, we were promising to deliver two million votes, but we have now upgraded to three million votes, God willing. There are 4,600,000 registered voters in Kaduna State and 96% have received their voter cards," he said.

The governor stated that the APC would ramp up grassroots mobilization, including door-to-door campaigns, to gather support throughout the state.

"We will go to every nook and cranny of Kaduna State, go house-to-house to canvass for votes, to ensure victory for APC from top to bottom," he added.

Connecting with the Federal Government

Mr Sani also tied the party’s election goals to federal government projects and political appointments in Kaduna. He pointed out the emergence of Tajudeen Abbas as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

"The president loves Kaduna because he has sited many projects in our dear State, he has given many citizens of the state political appointments, and so we should reciprocate by voting massively for APC in all elections," he said.

He praised Mr Sa’idu as a principled and trustworthy politician, saying he expected his return to the APC.

"The decampee is a man of the people, and even when he went to ADC, we were confident that he would return home. He stands for justice. Malam Jafaru Sani is also someone who can be trusted. He is also a seasoned public servant," Mr Sani said.

Equal Opportunities in APC

The governor emphasized that the APC offers equal opportunities to all members, no matter when they joined the party.

"I, as the Governor, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, the North West zonal Vice Chairman, Hon Garba Datti Babawo and all of us, none is more important than the other in our party. We are all equal, and everyone has the right to aspire to any position that he wants," he explained.

Mr Sa’idu remarked that the ADC had lost its political significance in Kaduna after his group and other supporters departed.

He stated that Kaduna De-Initiatives had built the party’s structures from the ward to the state level but became unhappy with its leadership and candidate selection process.

"We discovered that the party was being teleguided by a family, a situation which we found unacceptable. So, we studied the situation and compared the list of ADC candidates who won the primaries with the APC candidates.

"We saw that there was no basis for comparison; the contrast between the ADC and APC candidates is very glaring," he noted.

Mr Sa’idu said the group held an emergency steering committee meeting and decided to return to the APC.

"So, we have returned home. And as of one month ago, about 100,000 of those who defected with us have returned. These were card-carrying members of ADC. Between then and now, over 100,000 defectors have also joined APC," he stated.

He claimed that no credible opposition remains in Kaduna State following the defections.

"The former Commissioner of Finance said that there is not a single bona fide politician remaining in ADC, adding that there is now no opposition in Kaduna State, following their defection because ‘we were the opposition.’"

He predicted that the ADC would come third in the state during the 2027 election results.

The defections happened after disagreements over the ADC’s governorship primary, where Isah Ashiru emerged as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.

Mr Ashiru secured 86,113 votes, while Mr Sani came second with 29,580 votes and rejected the outcome, claiming irregularities.

Mr Sa’idu expressed dissatisfaction with what they saw as a small group’s control over the party’s operations and the quality of candidates produced in the primaries.

The dispute widened divisions among politicians who had previously worked with Mr El-Rufai and later joined the ADC.

Mr Sa’idu, Mr Sani, and Mr Kwari’s return to the APC has now brought several former associates of the ex-governor into Mr Sani’s political camp, who took over in 2023.