By Emmanuel Ado
A leader is a dealer in hope – Napoleon Bonaparte
Since 15th March 2022 when Senator Uba Sani, the leading governorship aspirant in the Kaduna State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) declared his aspiration, he continues to consolidate on his frontrunner momentum. He is clearly the candidate to beat. But despite overwhelming support of the major stakeholders of the party, Sani hasn’t shown any evidence, that he intends to slow down. His campaign schedule is that of a man prepared for a marathon race, which is what a governorship campaign really is.
Senator Sani has taken his campaign to the 23 local government areas of the state – the advantage of being a youth. To date, Sani remains the only aspirant that has robustly engaged and continues to engage members of the APC at every level. He regularly meets and mobilises party members towards clinching the ticket and winning the general election.
According to John Steinbeck, “it’s the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness is expected of him”. It’s not surprising that every day Sani demonstrates that capacity to meet and surpass the expectations of the good people of Kaduna State. His message of performance and continuity, which is resonating well with the party members and key stakeholders of the APC in the state, is giving the campaign additional energy. That’s what the critical support of the people that Sani has always been well known for as a true party man has done.
At every point in time, he has been there for the party and party members. For politicians, identifying with the party matters.
So Sani can’t in anyway be accused of coming from nowhere to reap where he hasn’t sowed. Suffice it to say that he is bountifully reaping from his long term investment in time and resources, building the party and the people.
When in 2015 Nasir El-Rufai appointed Sani his Special Adviser on Political Affairs, it was just the appointment of a trusted friend and confidant to help him manage the party, while he concentrated on governance. But Sani, without knowing what the future had in store, used the position to make friends for the administration. It’s the dividend that he is reaping.
On Saturday, 24th April 2022, Sani inaugurated the campaign committee that will drive the people’s project. Headed by Professor Muhammad Sani Bello with Ben Jock as Secretary, the 45-member body, and the quality of attendance at the event clearly shows, in the words of a party faithful, that the momentum is with Uba, and that the game is over.
If we were back in the Second Republic, candidates resoundingly defeated would have forfeited their nomination deposits.
The event was an opportunity for major stakeholders of the party from the ward to the National Assembly caucus to endorse the Sani’s project. The state National Assembly Caucus Chairman, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas (Iyan Zazzau); Member Representing Lere Federal Constituency, Ahmed Munnir; his counterpart from Soba Federal Constituency, Ibrahim Hamza; and that of Ikara/Kubau Federal Constituency, Hamisu Kubau. Other members of the House of Representatives are Member representing Makarfi/Kudan Federal Constituency, Mukhtar Ladan; and that of Chawai Kauru Federal Constituency, Hon. Mukhtar Zakari.
Former members of the House of Representatives, Abubakar Mamadi,Ibrahim Zero, Kabir Umar, Abdulkadir Global and Ruth Ango, were also there to sign off on the project.
From the Kaduna State House of Assembly were the Majority Leader, Hon. Ahmed Mohammed; together with Hon Auwalu Yaro Maikyau and Hon. Yusuf Dahiru.
Local Government Chairmen were led by a powerful delegation with the Kaduna State Chapter Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon. Abubakar Buba at the head. He was supported by Shuaibu Bawa Jaja (Kudan Local Government Council), Hon. Bashir Zuntu (Kubau Council), Hon. Sadeeq Salisu (Ikara Council), Hon. Mukhtar Baloni (Kaduna North Council), Hon. Aaron Bako (Kachia Council), Hon Bashir Dawaki (Kauru Council), Hon. Yunana Markus Barde (Jema’a Council), Hon. Abubakar Shehu (Giwa Council), Engr. Aliyu Idris (Zaria Council), Hon. Kabiru Jarimi (Kaduna South Council), and Engr. Mohammad Usman Magu (Sabon Gari Council).
A former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aminu Abdulfatah; and wife of Stephen Shekari, the late Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Charity Shekari were also present in solidarity.
The question most people are asking is: What makes Uba Sani tick? First is the fact that he represents hope for the teeming youths of the several possibilities open to them, whatever their social background. Sani not only represents hope, but practicalises hope, which is an oriental inherent part of being a human being. Without hope, it’s helplessness. He is an example of the reward of hard work, patience and the grace of God.
Another factor why Sani’s aspiration is being enthusiastically supported is that, as a true party man, he meets the yearnings of members, who longed for the emergence on the Governor’s seat of another party man like El-Rufai, who is among the founders of the APC and served as its interim National Assistant Secretary.
Sani’s sterling stewardship at the Senate has equally impressed many people. Though a first termer, he authored several consequential bills and attracted several projects like the N4 billion Engineering Faculty to the Kaduna State University.
These actions erased whatever doubt about his capacity. Chairing the Senate Committee on Banking, Finance, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions with former Governors Uzor Orji Kalu and Ibikunle Amosun as members, further confirmed Sani’s temperament to lead.
As Sani shows deep understanding of the issues confronting Kaduna State and the support it required in security, job creation, completion of the Itsi dam and fourth water treatment to serve Kaduna metropolis, etc, his support for El-Rufai is unquestionable.
He is also resolutely committed to the APC programmes.
A man of few words, Uba is an apostle of Steven Covey’s eternal words that, “what you do has far greater impact than what you say”. During the COVID-19 crisis, he literally opened the tap, reaching out to the needy, the poor and vulnerable through his Uba Sani Foundation. Like El-Rufai, Uba is a humanist.
Can he clinch the ticket and go on to win the general election in 2023? The answer is a resounding yes. Sani is not a new comer to running a campaign having been part of the Nasir El-Rufai governorship campaign team, running and winning his Senatorial election in 2019.
So far Sani has shown the invaluable experience he garnered in running his governorship campaign. His “one-at-a-time strategy”, devoted to clinching the APC’s ticket, is equally directed at the general election voters.
In Sani, the APC has a formidable successor to the peerless El-Rufai.
