The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State has attributed its defeat in the 2023 presidential election to the governance style of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai. Mohammed Sani Haruna, the state APC Publicity Secretary, made this known during a press briefing on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, in Kaduna.
Haruna said the 2023 election results were a public referendum on El-Rufai's eight-year tenure. He accused the former governor of implementing policies that alienated voters, including mass demolitions of homes and markets, large-scale worker sackings, and actions that widened religious and ethnic divisions across the state.
2023 Election Was a Referendum on El-Rufai
According to Daily Trust, Haruna told journalists that the outcome of the 2023 election in Kaduna State was a direct reflection of public dissatisfaction with El-Rufai's leadership. He stated: "Most elections are always a referendum on leadership at a particular time in history. So, the election in Kaduna State in 2023 was a referendum on the governing style of the former governor of Kaduna State."
He singled out Southern Kaduna as an area where discontent was particularly pronounced. Haruna noted that communities in that region had historically supported opposition parties and remained resistant to the APC during the El-Rufai years. The party's loss in the state to Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023 was therefore unsurprising, he added.
Uba Sani's Inclusive Leadership Credited for Turnaround
Haruna argued that the political climate in Kaduna has changed significantly since Governor Uba Sani assumed office. He credited Sani's inclusive leadership style—which cuts across ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic lines—for bringing previously estranged groups back into the APC fold. He claimed the party now holds all elective positions in the state, a feat he attributed directly to Sani's reconciliatory approach.
The briefing was organized to outline preparations for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's visit to Kaduna on October 24, 2026, where he is expected to officially flag off the APC's 2027 presidential campaign. Haruna said hundreds of thousands of supporters would be mobilized to receive the president. He also announced the establishment of a dedicated media centre to keep journalists informed as the event approaches.
Kaduna APC Pledges Two Million Votes for Tinubu
Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, Haruna disclosed that Governor Sani had personally assured President Tinubu that Kaduna State would deliver two million votes for his re-election bid. He declared: "Today, we assure Mr President and the entire APC family that Kaduna State will lead the way in securing his re-election on May 29, 2027."
He dismissed suggestions that the opposition could replicate its 2023 gains, insisting that the ruling party's current dominance of elective offices across the state made such a prospect unlikely. Haruna's remarks come amid broader APC efforts to consolidate support ahead of the 2027 poll.
In a related development, the APC Presidential Campaign Council Director-General, Abdulaziz Yari, met with President Tinubu at the State House and revealed a timetable for state visits ahead of the 2027 election. Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State, dismissed Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar as threats, questioning whether either candidate could claim a single state outside their regional strongholds. He cited former President Muhammadu Buhari's 2011 loss to argue that regional dominance alone cannot secure a presidential victory.
As the APC gears up for the 2027 campaign, the party's leadership in Kaduna is banking on the perceived successes of Governor Uba Sani's administration to reverse the 2023 setback and secure a decisive victory for President Tinubu in the state.
