Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has challenged opposition parties to intensify grassroots mobilisation and engage directly with voters ahead of the 2027 general elections, rather than focusing on the activities of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on social media.
The governor made the remarks during an interview with TVC on Sunday night, arguing that political parties seeking electoral victories must connect with citizens through campaign rallies, town hall meetings and direct engagement with communities.
Sani said the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had not demonstrated sufficient public engagement through their campaigns, while acknowledging the activities of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
“The only party that I see reaching out through town hall meetings, other than our party, is probably APM. I’m surprised. I have seen them going round. But you cannot say the same with ADC and NDC,” he said.
He questioned whether opposition parties were reaching disadvantaged communities and presenting clear campaign strategies, insisting that electoral campaigns should focus on communicating policies and winning public support.
“You can’t run a campaign by reacting to what another party is doing. Go and do your own campaign,” the governor said.
Sani also accused opposition parties of relying on digital platforms, including artificial intelligence-generated content and manipulated photographs, to criticise the APC rather than concentrating on direct voter engagement.
He maintained that the ruling party had continued to reach out to citizens through community engagements and other grassroots activities, expressing confidence in its electoral prospects regardless of whether opposition parties unite.
On the APC’s preparations for the 2027 elections, the governor recalled that the party’s National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, had projected that President Bola Tinubu would secure 70 per cent of votes in northern Nigeria.
Sani said Kaduna State would aim to deliver an even stronger electoral performance for the president, describing anything below 25 per cent of the vote for an opposing candidate as a failure on the APC’s part.
The governor attributed his confidence to infrastructure projects and federal interventions in Kaduna State under Tinubu’s administration.
He listed the reconstruction of the 123-kilometre Kaduna–Birnin Gwari road, which he said had received ₦178 billion in funding, among the major projects expected to improve connectivity in the state.
According to Sani, the road had remained abandoned for more than four decades before the current intervention.
He also commended the president for transferring the Ahmadu Bello Stadium to the Kaduna State Government, pledging to reconstruct the facility into a 33,000-capacity stadium that meets FIFA standards.
The governor further highlighted the ongoing reconstruction of the Zaria–Soba–Kambuwa road and plans for a metropolitan light rail project in Kaduna.
He said $865 million had been approved for the proposed rail project, adding that China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, the contractor, had received $300 million in mobilisation funding.
Sani also cited developments in higher education, stating that Kaduna State had gained additional federal university institutions, including the Federal University of Education, Zaria, and the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia. He also mentioned the proposed Shehu Musa Yar’Adua University of Petroleum Studies in Kaduna and the conversion of Kaduna Polytechnic into a Federal University of Technology.
The governor argued that these projects demonstrated the benefits of cooperation between the state and federal governments, urging residents to support Tinubu at the polls in appreciation of the administration’s interventions.
His comments come as political parties begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections, with debates over grassroots mobilisation, opposition alliances and the performance of the federal government expected to shape the emerging campaign landscape.
