Why the North won’t betray Tinubu in 2027 – Adamu

…Says ‘Tinubu has restored our lost hope’

‘…In 2015 and 2019, he didn’t betray Buhari’

‘…Gov. Uba Sani has de-emphasised Muslim-Christian sentiments’

A foremost chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna state, Hon. Saidu Adamu, has unequivocally declared that the people of the North have no reason to betray President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his re-election bid, come 2027.

He made the declaration in an exclusive interview with Blueprint Weekend as the state receives the president and his campaign team for the flag-off of the APC’s presidential campaign rally Saturday.

The former stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the state and the North-west were happy to host “Mr. President; the National Chairman of APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda; the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdullazeez Yari, leaders and other key stakeholders of the party.”

Adamu said President Tinubu had sufficiently demonstrated that “he is a loyal ally of the North in the South-west when he stood by the late President Muhmmadu Buhari in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections when it was the North’s turn to produce the president.”   

He noted that the selection of Kaduna by the president was, among other factors, “related to the giant strides of Governor Uba Sani in Kaduna in terms of good governance and the dividends of democracy.”

He described Governor Sani as “the pointer in the North-west” in terms of landmark achievements.  

Adamu, a four-time Commissioner for Information in Kaduna state; a former presidential and governorship spokesperson in the 2023 general elections, said, “One zone can’t produce a president in Nigeria out of the six geopolitical zones. It was only in 2015 that Buhari and other leaders understood that the North needed a southern ally or bloc.”

He also said, “That was what gave birth to the alliance with the South-west under the leadership of Asiwaju. Subsequently, Buhari was elected president for eight years on that strength.

“Also, the South understood too that a southerner can’t be president without the votes of, at least, one zone from the North; hence, Tinubu needed the northern votes to win his election in 2023.”

The former secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna state, and former Election Returning Officer during the Yar’Adua presidential campaign, said Buhari could not have won his presidential election without Asiwaju’s mobilisation of regional support.

According to him, the 2027 presidential election is a time to fully pay back the goodwill of a reliable ally of the North in President Tinubu.

Adamu, a one-time member of the national strategic communication committee for presidential election, stressed that Tinubu had done so much to deserve the vote of the North, referencing key appointments, tackling insecurity, provision of critical infrastructure such as roads, among others.  

“The president approved a contract for the construction of Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road, a vital road that stretches up to the border with Zamfara. That road has been neglected for over 35 years.

“That road used to be a den of kidnapping and banditry. But now, one hardly hears anything like that, courtesy of the efforts of President Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani,” he said.

Continuing, he said, “Apart from several projects being undertaken in different parts of the North, look at the ongoing works on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, the 700-kilometre Akwanga–Bauchi–Gombe–Biu–Maiduguri Superhighway, and the ongoing Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway. These are massive socio-economic game changers for the North and the entire country.

“These are projects that not even presidents of northern descent had considered them. Only Tinubu can do this. He has restored our lost hope.”

He also praised the Tinubu-led federal government for removing the corrupt regime of fuel subsidies, “which makes more money available to the three tiers of the government so as to fast-track good governance at the local level and provide critical infrastructure towards accelerating socio-economic growth, job-creation, and industrialisation.

He also expressed confidence in the Senator Abdullazeez Yari-led APC PCC to lead the party to victory in 2027.  

Read the full interview below:

You are one of the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna state and play an active role in the party, and on Saturday, all roads lead to the state for the APC’s presidential mega rally. How prepared is the state to receive Mr. President and his campaign team?

Thank you for this opportunity to talk on this very important issue of Mr. President’s coming to Kaduna. It is interesting that this time around, he is not coming to commission projects, but to see his people, his teeming supporters and the good people of the state to solicit their votes in the 2027 presidential election. Kaduna state is an APC state. It used to be a PDP state, but in 2014, we all left the PDP for the APC. The president is coming to see the massive support we have for him in Kaduna and across the North. This campaign is not like the last one, when the president had to visit every state; he has decided to pick some states among the 36 to visit.

That is why we are happy he chose Kaduna as the first call of duty to flag off his campaign. I believe this is, among other factors, related to Governor Uba Sani’s giant strides in Kaduna in terms of good governance and the dividends of democracy. Uba Sani is doing very well. He is the pointer in the North-west. The people of the state, the APC family in particular, and the entire North-west are ready to receive Mr. President.

We are also ready to receive our dynamic national chairman, the erudite scholar, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, who is obviously the best party chairman in Africa; Senator Abdullazeez Yari, the director-general of the APC Presidential Campaign Council; members of the APC Presidential Campaign Council; and other key stakeholders.

The Minister of Defence came earlier in the week to ensure everything went smoothly in terms of security and other logistics. We are sure that when APC leaders come, they will attest to the fact that Kaduna and the North-west are absolutely ready to re-elect Governor Uba Sani and President Tinubu. Don’t forget that, courtesy of Mr. President, Kaduna is lucky to have the Minister of Defence, Gen. Chris Musa (retd.), and the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, and both have been performing very well. This makes us proud as a people, and we are eager to welcome Mr. President.

Before Uba Sani became the governor, the state was polarised along ethnic and religious lines, leading to a wave of insecurity. How was the governor able to restore peace in the hitherto troubled state?

Please, note that there can never be peace if there is no justice, and justice can only be visible if there’s fairness. You know, there is a difference between electing a good politician as governor and electing an inexperienced politician to office. Between 2015 and 2023, the state was, indeed, polarised. People were extremely careful about where to go or even where to live. It was that bad.

But when Uba Sani came, he said, “No, we must start doing things the proper way.” He insisted that Kaduna must be united as one entity. He thus de-emphasised the Muslim-Christian supremacist sentiments. He treated everyone equally and ensured every part of the state was fairly represented in his government through appointments. He appointed new ones and brought back the traditional rulers who were sacked, and made them critical stakeholders because governance is a collective responsibility.

Uba Sani also made sure that traditional rulers who were neglected in the past were duly recognised and empowered to contribute to peace and bridge-building between the people and, of course, the government. These are some of the things Uba Sani has done to stem the tide of insecurity and divisions in the state.

What do you think Governor Uba Sani has achieved in terms of impactful governance to deserve being re-elected?

Governor Uba Sani has achieved unprecedented results in less than four years. In the past eight years before he assumed office, it was only when you came to Kaduna or Zaria City or some parts of Kafanchan in Jema’a local governments that you would visibly see that the government was doing something. But the other 19 local governments didn’t even know what government was all about; they were 100 per cent neglected. There were no culverts, let alone feeder roads. But when Uba Sani came, he understood that to reduce rural-urban migration, he needed to develop rural areas, which, of course, was part of his campaign promises.

He made sure he constructed not less than 1,400 kilometres of roads in all 23 local governments. No local government lacks a road being constructed or commissioned by the Uba Sani administration, and people in rural areas are now happy with him. They can now transport their produce to the markets in big towns and cities. This is one of the major problems that Uba Sani solved for the people.

President Tinubu visited some time ago to commission projects the governor executed, and he commended Uba Sani’s achievements. The governor also launched dozens of CNG buses to reduce transportation costs for the masses. In agriculture, the governor distributed 900 trailers of fertiliser to farmers free of charge to boost agricultural produce, ensure food security, and engage youths in meaningful economic activities to reduce banditry and other security-related issues. Other sectors that have witnessed the transformational touch of Uba Sani include health, education, empowerment, public transportation, among others.

Some critics say the North hasn’t benefited from the Tinubu administration enough to deserve its votes in 2027. What’s your take on this?

That is a blatantly false narrative with no basis in truth or fact. We need to understand one thing: no government can perform 100 per cent in the first tenure. Unfortunately, that is the expectation of many Nigerians. But if you look closely, you’ll realise that, for the first time in Nigeria, many of our first-tenure governors and Tinubu in his first tenure have delivered better performances than the first tenures of previous democratic administrations. You’ll be surprised by how well Uba Sani performed in his first tenure.

Look at what President Tinubu is doing in Kaduna and in the North. Recently, the president approved a contract to construct the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road, a vital road that stretches to the border with Niger state. That road has been neglected for over 35 years. The contract was awarded for N178 billion, and Mr President mobilised the contractor with N100 billion for the work to commence immediately.

Apart from several projects being undertaken in different parts of the North, look at the ongoing works on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway, the 700-kilometre Akwanga–Bauchi–Gombe–Biu–Maiduguri Superhighway, and the ongoing Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway. These are massive socio-economic game-changers for the North and the entire country. These are projects that not even presidents of northern descent had considered. Only Tinubu can do this. He has restored our lost hope.

When you look at the issue of security in the North before Tinubu came, we used to have massive attacks in schools and other places, but you can bet that the issue has now been reduced drastically. In those days, nobody could access Birnin Gwari from Kaduna. The only news you would normally hear about the place was negative news of kidnapping and banditry. But now, one hardly hears anything like that, courtesy of the efforts of President Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani. We cannot eradicate insecurity globally. Even in the Western world, where we have advanced technologies, they still battle insecurity. But the government is doing everything possible to ensure the situation is minimised to the barest minimum.

We’re not saying that insecurity has been completely defeated. This administration inherited a spate of insecurity; however, through proactive measures, the federal government has drastically reduced the problems. In those days, people couldn’t safely travel from Kaduna to Abuja or from Abuja to Kaduna. But now, the road is free and well secured for travellers. Don’t forget that in the last administration, even the train was attacked and a lot of people were kidnapped. But thankfully, the efforts of the Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.) and other security agencies that have been working tirelessly have made the North and the country safer than before. I want to assure the North and, of course, Nigerians, that Tinubu’s second term will build on his achievements and the country will start reaping more dividends of democracy.  

There is an on-going argument about President Tinubu’s removal of fuel subsidies. Where do you stand on this?

The most strategic aspect of the current reform is President Tinubu’s removal of the fuel subsidies, and without apologies, this government has said the fuel subsidies are gone for good. Isn’t it obvious that only President Tinubu has the clearest view of the issue? The subsidies issue was a corrupt regime that milked the country dry, with no meaningful achievement in infrastructure or social safety for citizens. One benefit of removing subsidies is that state governments are getting a lot of money. Local governments are also getting a lot of money directly from FAAC.

When was the last time you heard any state government complaining about paying salaries? They have been paying salaries as and when due. Many serious state governments are executing massive, people-oriented projects. If not because we are benefiting from fuel subsidy removal, the projects that Governor Uba Sani has been executing in Kaduna wouldn’t have been possible. He wouldn’t have constructed over 1,400 kilometres of roads in Kaduna. But we’re lucky because the president has taken Uba Sani as his son.

So, whenever Uba Sani faces a challenge beyond his control, he normally goes to the president, and he gets prompt intervention. That’s why we have so many projects completed, and some are still on-going in Kaduna. That is why our people have resolved to re-elect Tinubu and, of course, Uba Sani.

Do you factor in the geopolitical dimension in the 2027 presidential election from the North’s perspective, and will it favour Mr. President?

Definitely, recall that Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) began to run for president and used to get over 12 million votes, but that couldn’t help him realise his presidential ambition. This is because no single zone can produce a president in Nigeria across the six geopolitical zones. Only in 2015 did Buhari and other leaders understand that the North needed a southern ally or bloc. That gave rise to the alliance with the South-west under Asiwaju’s leadership. Subsequently, Buhari was elected president for eight years on that strength. The South also understood that a southerner can’t be president without the vote of at least one zone from the North.

Historically, the North had collaborated with the South-east during the Tafawa Balewa era to produce the president and the Prime Minister. They also collaborated in 1979 when Shagari of the NPN became the president. So, it has always been like that.

The North has had its turn for eight years under President Buhari (May his soul rest in peace). Now, it’s the South’s turn. So, it’s easier for us to support Tinubu, knowing full well that it is payback time. We need to pay back because in 2015 and 2019, Tinubu didn’t betray Buhari. What reason does the North have not to support Tinubu’s second term when he gave us his support twice?

Tinubu fought Atiku Abubakar, Kwankwaso, and others who contested alongside Buhari at the APC presidential primaries in Lagos. He stood with Buhari and ensured he emerged as the presidential flag bearer in 2015. So, the North won’t betray Tinubu in 2027 because it’s payback time, knowing full well that in 2031, if God wills, the North will again produce the president with the support of President Tinubu and the South-west. Therefore, we will not allow any politician or anyone to deceive or derail us. 

The opposition has been using hunger as an alibi to campaign, accusing the Tinubu administration’s reforms of creating more pains than benefits for citizens. What is your reaction to that?

Every well-meaning Nigerian knows that the Tinubu administration came to rescue the nation from economic collapse through decisive reforms. It is a necessary sacrifice with priceless benefits ahead. If you say you are not going to send your child to school simply because you don’t want them to suffer, believe me, you are going to regret it. The opposition is unpatriotically and desperately trying to change the narrative for political gains. That’s unfair.

The situation of the country needs someone like Tinubu, who has the political will, and who cares about Nigeria, to tackle the situation head-on. Tinubu is trying by all means to repair the country, sector by sector. Insecurity also created problems for our farmers, bringing about hunger; however, with the decisive efforts of our security agencies, our farmers have now returned to their farms. For instance, for the past twelve years, the people of Birnin Gwari were not farming, but for the past three years, they have all gone back to farming because the security issue has been tackled. We are grateful to Mr. President for this, and in 2027, the North will demonstrate its appreciation to him by re-electing him for a second term.

Let’s look at your party’s campaign strategy. Do you think that the APC Presidential Campaign Council led by Senator Abdullazeez Yari as its Director-General has what it takes to deliver Tinubu re-election?

I want you to underline the fact that President Tinubu, national chairman Yilwatda, and the top hierarchy of the party have absolute confidence in Senator Abdullazeez Yari, the director-general of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, to lead the party to a resounding presidential election victory in 2027. Yari is one of the most outstanding politicians of his generation, both in the North and across Nigeria.

In fact, we are so happy and proud that he has been saddled with such a sensitive responsibility at such a historic time in our nation. Cross-check his background; as a core grassroots politician, a serving senator of the Federal Republic, a governor for eight years, a former chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, and a stalwart of our party, among so many other national political positions and engagements, no one is more qualified than Yari for the job.

He has the clout, track record, competence, and experience to galvanise the party’s structures in the North and nationwide to achieve our objective. With him, Tinubu’s second-term campaign and electoral victory will undoubtedly be successful.