Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has dismissed claims that northern voters are turning against President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election, predicting that the President could secure between 70 and 80 per cent of votes cast in Kaduna State.
Sani made the prediction during an interview on Channels Television, while speaking on the political realignment and growing competition ahead of the 2027 elections.
The governor said the perception of a northern backlash against Tinubu was largely based on political narratives and activities on social media rather than the realities on the ground.
He insisted that neither the North nor Kaduna State was opposed to the President, arguing that the electorate would ultimately assess the administration based on its performance and impact on their lives.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will move from 29 percent of votes to 70 to 80 percent,” Sani said.
“In Kaduna State, we don’t do politics of sentiment. I am not going to talk about any personality here. I am not here to speak about the former governor, Nasir El-Rufai. I respect him, I respect Makarfi, I respect Namadi Sambo, I respect Governor El-Rufai. They’ve done their best but in politics, I am here to fight for APC and I’m telling you what’s going to happen.”
Kaduna was among the major northern states where former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar defeated Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
Atiku polled 554,360 votes in the state, while Tinubu secured 399,293 votes.
Sani, however, argued that the political configuration in Kaduna had changed since the last presidential election and that the factors responsible for the 2023 outcome should not be assumed to remain the same in 2027.
He pointed to the movement of several politicians who previously belonged to opposition parties into the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly in southern Kaduna, as one of the factors that could alter the voting pattern.
The governor also cited what he described as federal government interventions in the state under Tinubu as part of the factors that could improve the President’s support.
Among the projects he mentioned were the establishment of a Federal University of Science and Technology in southern Kaduna and the development of a federal medical centre.
Sani also acknowledged the contributions of former President Muhammadu Buhari and Tinubu to the development of Kaduna, while noting that the state still required more infrastructure.
On the influence of former governor Nasir El-Rufai and his political associates, amid ongoing tensions within the APC, Sani said he would not engage in personality-based politics.
“I don’t do politics of sentiments. I’m not going to talk about any personality here. I respect him. I value him,” he said.
The governor instead said his priority was to strengthen the APC and ensure that its message reached voters across the state.
Sani also cautioned Nigerians against accepting campaign promises without questioning how politicians intend to fund them.
He said voters should demand concrete plans and explanations from politicians seeking their support ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Someone will come and sit here and tell you that when I become governor, or when I become president, I will ensure that every student is given N10 million. You allow him to walk away without asking: how would you do it?” he asked.
Asked specifically whether there was a growing political backlash against Tinubu in the North, Sani responded: “No way. It is not possible.”
He predicted that the President would perform strongly across the Northwest, Northeast and North-Central regions.
The governor also dismissed the idea that presidential elections could be won primarily through television appearances and social media campaigns.
According to him, serious political campaigns must extend to the grassroots, particularly the thousands of wards across the country.
“You don’t contest with the President by campaigning in Abuja,” Sani said, stressing that elections were “practical” and required sustained engagement with voters at the grassroots.
He maintained that the APC’s prospects in 2027 would ultimately depend on its ability to communicate its achievements and maintain a strong presence among voters across Kaduna and the wider North.
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