Hundreds of supporters of Abdulsalam Abdulkarim Zaura, an aspirant for the Kano Central Senatorial seat under the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Friday occupied the popular Race Course Road in the metropolis to express their displeasure over the party’s consensus arrangement.
Protest Details
The protesters, including women and student unions, lamented what they described as injustice, undue influence, and undemocratic processes aimed at denying Zaura the right to contest for the Kano Central Senatorial seat. The aggrieved supporters, heavily guided by security agencies to forestall breakdown of law, accused the party leadership of imposing former Governor Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, who recently defected back to the APC, over Zaura, whom they claimed had remained consistently loyal to the party and never abandoned it since 2023.
Placards and Demands
The APC supporters, drawn from the 15 local government councils in the Kano Central Senatorial District, carried placards with various inscriptions calling for the intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to save the soul of the party in Kano. Addressing journalists during the peaceful demonstration, the leader of the concerned groups, Dr. Bello Lawan, reminded party leaders that Zaura’s supporters are loyal APC members who deserve fair treatment.
Dr. Lawan stated that despite the party’s promise to provide a free and level playing ground for aspirants to pursue their ambitions, the alleged imposition of Shekarau as the party’s preferred candidate contradicted that pledge. According to him, “I want to remind Mr President that Kano is a battleground of northern politics. We trust and believe that Mr President will not tolerate injustice against any loyal member.
“We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in what is playing out in the Kano Central Senatorial District in the name of consensus before it is too late. Kano is the heartbeat of the North and the commercial capital of northern Nigeria.
“Kano has the largest population in Nigeria, and we are ready to mobilise more than five million votes for the President. However, we are demanding fairness and justice for AA Zaura, who has touched many lives in different ways. Fairness to our aspirant requires a just decision that will not sink the APC in Nigeria.
“Mr President, we, the supporters of Zaura, remain loyal to the party, but we are demanding justice and fairness for our teeming youthful population because we deserve leaders with the energy to help develop Kano. The time to act is now in order to safeguard our great party, the APC,” Lawan lamented.
Background
Zaura, a businessman and philanthropist, contested the Kano Central Senatorial seat in 2023 under the platform of the APC but lost to Senator Sani Hanga of the opposition New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). Zaura, who recently renewed his ambition to contest the same seat ahead of the 2027 elections, has attracted a massive following, with supporters already mobilising for his victory.
Shekarau, who appears to have benefited from the consensus arrangement, was said to have received his nomination form at the Government House on Wednesday and submitted it to the party headquarters, Abuja the following day.
