THE INSIDER: How Uba Sani was picked as preferred APC governorship candidate in Kaduna

Reports surfaced during the week that Uba Sani, senator representing Kaduna central, had been endorsed as the preferred governorship aspirant for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

In a statement addressed to his supporters, Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, better known as Dattijo, had said Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, asked APC governorship hopefuls to support Sani’s ambition.

Dattijo also said the decision to support Sani was discussed at a meeting held on Wednesday.

The senator’s “vast experience” as a presidential aide, political adviser, as well as his track record at the upper legislative chamber, contributed to making him the preferred choice, TheCable understands.

Opinion polls were conducted on governorship hopefuls within “the political family of el-Rufai”, and Sani is said to have always come first among the three APC aspirants.

Aside from Dattijo and Sani, Hadiza Balarabe, deputy governor of Kaduna, is listed as the third governorship aspirant within the “political family”.

A source said the decision had to be taken as the “activities of supporters of Dattijo and Sani were heating up the polity”, adding that Kaduna APC stakeholders “wanted the best of the three to be endorsed, so that the party can approach the primary as a united house”.

“Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, the first elected female deputy governor in the state, had acted as governor on several occasions and is seen as capable. She is a consultant in public health, and she led the state’s strong response to COVID-19 and enjoys unique status as a powerful number two to el-Rufai,” a source said.

“Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, who is fondly known as Dattijo, is an international development expert who served twice as planning and budget commissioner and was el-Rufai’s chief of staff. He is young, bright and hardworking.

“On his part, Uba Sani is an outstanding first-term lawmaker, who is among the top 10 senators with the highest number of bills. He has sponsored 21 bills in his three-year stay in the senate, placing him as the fourth legislator in terms of high sponsorship of bills.

“Uba Sani used his influence to secure funding for the construction of the faculty of engineering at the permanent site of the Kaduna State University (KASU).

“Similarly, he sponsored the bill for the establishment of the Federal College of Education in Giwa, Federal Medical Centre in Rigasa, the Federal College of Forestry Technology and Research, Birnin Gwari, among others.

“He also initiated two bills that have been signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari and they are the Banking and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) and the new AMCON Act.”

Speaking on the development, a chieftain of the APC in Kaduna commended el-Rufai for “resolving the issue of anointed candidate amicably within his team”.

According to the party stakeholder, there were concerns over the governorship ambitions of the three aspirants — while Sani and Dattijo declared their interest in March, the deputy governor was said to have begun consultations on her interest in running for governor.

“This development created some kind of confusion within the rank and file of the party because three members of the governor’s team were interested in succeeding him in 2023,” the party chieftain said.

“This had the potential of dividing the party. Coupled with that, supporters of each aspirant, especially the senator and Dattijo’s campaign teams, claimed that they had the governor’s full backing and they sometimes used strong language against each other.”

A member of the Kaduna governor’s cabinet also gave details on how Sani was chosen, as well as other decisions taken to improve the APC’s chances at the polls.

“You know that el-Rufai is a digital politician who is tech-savvy and he exercises leadership in whatever he does. Opinion polls, regular meetings and assessments all played a role in the final endorsement of Uba Sani,” the cabinet member said.

“First, senator Uba Sani is the core team’s consensus candidate. Second, Dattijo will vie for the senate to continue his political career at the national level and gain experience in law making, while senator Suleiman Abdu Kwari has been pencilled down to retain his seat as the senator representing Kaduna north senatorial district.”