Uba Sani: Kaduna Now One-party State — We Have No Opposition

Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, says the state has effectively become a one-party stronghold for the All Progressives Congress (APC).  

Sani spoke on Thursday in Kaduna while hosting a delegation from the presidency, which included Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy.

The presidential team was in the state for an official tour of developmental projects under the current administration in the north-west.

Addressing the gathering, Sani said “there is no more opposition” for the ruling party in the state, accusing some journalists of criticising his administration with preconceived opinion.

“To my commissioners, I just want to thank you, and I can assure you that Kaduna state, as we are speaking, we have no opposition. That’s the fact of the matter. We have brought Kaduna into a one-party state and I have no apology for that,” he said.

“I have no apology because some latter day journalists were asking questions. You go to studio, they ask questions and they answer the questions themselves.

“Before getting to the studio, they already have their own opinion, and they want you to listen to them. But we can’t do that. Most of them have no historical perspectives of where we are coming from.”

The governor noted the impact of the current administration in the north, saying no president in history has given more supports to the region than Tinubu.

“No president has supported northern Nigeria as President Tinubu has done in less than three years,” he said.

“And that is also why I cannot see any zone, not even the south-west, coming down to vote more for him than us. Let me make it clear to all of you, President Tinubu has done more for the north than any leader in this country.”

The governor said prior to 2023, Kaduna and parts of the region were plagued by insecurity and poor infrastructure, recalling Tinubu’s visit to Birnin Gwari in December 2022.

“I could remember when he visited Birnin Gwari on the 12th of December, 2022. It was a journey of less than two hours, but it took us five hours,” he said.

“The problem was security, because at that time you could not travel from Kaduna to Birnin Gwari without military escort. But today, you can go there without police escort.”

He added that improvements in infrastructure have boosted economic activities in the region.

“Today, he (Tinubu) has fulfilled his promise. Just today, another project was approved for Kano state, almost N1 trillion. That’s the benefits we’re taking about,” Sani said.

“When you go to Birnin Gwari, you will see hundreds of vehicles passing to Lagos. It has improved the economic prosperity of our people who are farmers and small business owners.”

Sani also dismissed criticisms of Tinubu’s re-election chances in 2027, saying support for the president goes beyond social media narratives.

“All the people talking that the president won’t win elections — if elections are conducted on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and social media, that’s where he will lose. But if it is people that vote at polling units, he is going to get 70 percent of the votes. That is the fact of the matter,” he said.

“It’s not about social media, it’s about working on the ground. The masses appreciate President Tinubu because they know poverty has no religion and no tribal boundaries.”

The governor added that many of those criticising the president today were not part of the struggle for democracy in the 1990s.

“Most of them have no historical perspective of where we are coming from. We didn’t threaten to burn down the country. We went to court and that decision was rescinded,” Sani said.

Responding, Onanuga said the tour was aimed at showcasing how state governments are utilising funds from subsidy removal.

“The president has been taking the bullets for these economic decisions to better the economy of the country,” he said.

“From what we have seen in Kaduna, this money has gone into development projects that are impacting the lives of ordinary citizens.

“From rural roads connecting farming communities to skills acquisition centres empowering youth, I will tell the president that Kaduna is a role model in the effective utilisation of the funds given to states.”