Uba Sani: Kaduna Will Support Tinubu in 2027 Election

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani believes that President Bola Tinubu will get strong backing in the state during the 2027 presidential election. He claims that no opposing candidate will even reach 25 percent of the votes.

Mr Sani said his confidence comes from the Tinubu administration's significant work in Kaduna, especially in areas like infrastructure, education, agriculture, security, and human development.

He shared his views during an interview with TVC on Sunday, a day after the All Progressives Congress (APC) officially kicked off Mr Tinubu’s re-election campaign at the Ranchers Bees Stadium in Kaduna.

“In Kaduna, we are not talking about 70 percent. Allowing any candidate to even get 25 percent in Kaduna is a failure on our side because President Tinubu has done for Kaduna something we never dreamt of having,” Mr Sani stated.

He urged voters in the North to support the president based on his achievements, not on ethnic or regional biases. He argued that the federal government's efforts showed a commitment to developing Kaduna and other northern states.

“No leader in the history of Nigeria has supported subnational governments like you have done, Mr President,” he told Mr Tinubu at the rally on Saturday.

Mr Sani listed several federal projects and initiatives as reasons for residents to back the president’s re-election bid. He praised Mr Tinubu for handing over the Ahmadu Bello Stadium to the Kaduna State Government. He said the state would upgrade the stadium to meet FIFA standards, with a capacity of 33,000.

He also pointed out the reconstruction of the 123-kilometre Kaduna, Birnin Gwari Road, which he said had been neglected for over 40 years. According to him, ₦178 billion has been allocated for this project.

On rail development, Mr Sani mentioned that the federal government approved $865 million for the Kaduna metropolitan light rail project. He added that the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, had already received $300 million in advance payment.

The governor also talked about the ongoing work on the Zaria, Soba-Kambuwa Road and the expansion of federal higher education institutions in the state. He noted that Kaduna now has four federal universities, including the Federal University of Education in Zaria and the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia.

He also mentioned the proposed Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Petroleum Studies in Kaduna and the upgrade of Kaduna Polytechnic into a federal university of technology.

Mr Sani argued that these projects and other federal support justified his belief that Kaduna people would largely support Mr Tinubu in 2027.

Beyond defending the president’s record, Mr Sani challenged opposition parties to step up their grassroots campaigns instead of just critiquing the APC online.

“If you are campaigning to win elections, you have to go out and meet with the people,” he said.

The governor observed that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) were responding to the ruling party's actions without presenting strong campaign strategies or engaging with ordinary Nigerians.

He praised the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) for organizing town hall meetings and reaching out to voters.

“You can’t run a campaign by reacting to what another party is doing. Go and do your own campaign,” he advised the opposition parties.

Mr Sani also accused opposition politicians of using fake intelligence and manipulated images to discredit the APC instead of going directly to the voters.

He expressed confidence that the ruling party’s grassroots engagement would give it an edge in the 2027 elections. He added that the formation of alliances by opposition parties was not a concern for the APC.

Meanwhile, the ADC, whose presidential candidate is former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, criticized Saturday’s APC campaign launch. They called it disappointing and not a sign of wide public support for Mr Tinubu.

Kola Ologbondiyan, director of media and publicity for the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, claimed that the APC brought in supporters from the seven North-western states and beyond, with payments reportedly ranging from ₦50,000 to ₦100,000 each.

Mr Ologbondiyan also said that the stadium was not full, with many empty seats visible despite the alleged mobilization.

The ADC’s claims and the governor’s statements about APC’s popularity show the different views emerging as political parties prepare for the 2027 general election.

While the APC presented the rally as proof of its strength, the ADC questioned if the gathering truly reflected voter support.

Mr Sani’s belief that no opposition candidate would get even 25 percent of Kaduna’s votes is a sharp contrast to the results of the 2023 presidential election.

In that election, Mr Tinubu, then the APC candidate, came second in Kaduna with 399,293 votes, about 29.36 percent of valid votes. Mr Atiku, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), won with 554,360 votes, or about 40.76 percent. Labour Party candidate Peter Obi was third with 294,494 votes, around 21.65 percent.

These results showed that the three leading candidates had significant support across the state. Mr Atiku won 14 local government areas, while the Labour Party took seven and the APC won two.

The political scene in Kaduna is influenced by differences among its northern, central, and southern regions, along with varying party loyalties, local political connections, security issues, and economic factors.

While the 2023 results provide a basis for looking at the APC’s 2027 goals, they do not determine the next election’s outcome. Voter choices, political alliances, and views on government performance can shift between elections.

The 2027 election will ultimately depend on how voters view the federal and state governments’ records, especially their responses to security, economic difficulties, infrastructure gaps, education, and other public issues.

Mr Sani has set a high target for the APC in Kaduna. Voters will decide if the party can reach the level of support he expects.