By Ibrahim Dan-Gaskiya
Democracy is a system of government where power is vested in the people, either directly or through elected representatives. Key characteristics include free and fair elections, protection of individual rights and freedoms, rule of law, and accountability of government to citizens.
Democracy promotes values such as equality, justice, transparency, and representation, allowing citizens to participate in decision-making processes and hold leaders accountable.
Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999 has seen significant milestones and challenges. The country’s economy has grown, though still with a room for improvements as being anchored by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the governors.
Nigeria’s 2027 elections will be a crucial test for democracy, just as President Bola Tinubu’s re-election woll face no challenge from opposition parties, particularly the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) coalition led by figures like Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, and Rotimi Amaechi.
The All Democratic Alliance (ADA) faces significant challenges in defeating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections. While ADA has garnered support from notable figures like Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, and Rotimi Amaechi, its ability to unseat Tinubu remains uncertain.
The opposition’s internal divisions and differing ideologies might hinder ADA’s chances of success. With established political structures, Tinubu’s APC has a strong presence across Nigeria, making it difficult for ADA to penetrate and gain traction.
Many key figures and prominent political players have also renewed their confidence in the APC and the Tinubu’s APc-led administration. This is evident in the retinue of a myriad of heavyweights that have been continuously trooping into the APC, hence escaping from their viably sinking political ships across Nigeria.
These new entrants into the “Noah’s Ark” have let out a sigh of relief as they have been salvaged into a safe haven. They expressed happiness by coming on board, applauding APC, Tinubu, and the progressive Governors for being absolutely and patriotically pro-Nigeria and Nigerians.
It has also been credibly posited that the ADA is a coalition that is already dead on arrival. Pundits say those who formed the ADA weak coalition are just a bunch of political bankrupts who have lost grip of even their local bases and constituents. Yes, they are political bulldogs who can not even bark or bite, they asserted.
According to the indefatigable people-friendly Kaduna State Govenror, Sen.Uba Sani, “ADA won’t pose a significant threat to Tinubu’s re-election bid”This is indeed the real truth and nothing but the whole truth.
Gov. Uba Sani has further dismissed concerns about the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) coalition posing a threat to President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
According to Sani, the coalition lacks the strength to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Tinubu. Sen. Sani emphasized that Tinubu faces no credible threat from the ADA coalition or any other opposition group.
He also said that the coalition lacks grassroots appeal, and he questioned ADA”s ability to connect with ordinary Nigerians, citing their lack of involvement in pro-democracy struggles.
Gov. Sani also highlighted his own experience as a civil rights activist and senator, contrasting it with the coalition leaders’ past involvement in governance.
Nasir El-Rufai, a key figure in the ADA coalition and former Kaduna State Governor, had stated that Tinubu’s re-election bid is doomed due to the APC’s failures.
However, Sani remains confident in Tinubu’s prospects, attributing it to the president’s track record and support within the APC.
It is also worth mentioning that the frail coalition, dead on arrival, boasts only of glaringly egoistic and egocentric strange bed fellows, deluded into thinking that they can defeat APC and Tinubu, and this is far from the truth and there is no near possibility to that as democracy is a game of numbers and the APC is the party to beat I 2027 at all levels in the country.
This is certainly seque to its impressive performances and the upward trajectory of development the party and its astute flag bearers have maintained. APC will no doubt clean sweep the 2027 General Elections to the dismay of ADA and other anti democratic forces in Nigeria.
President Tinubu has also repeatedly maintained that he is not interfering in the affairs of INEC, the nation’s political independent umpire, and this is indisputable.
INEC has indeed been free and independent, and this is evident in its excellent condition of the 2023 General Elections and other subsequent bye elections across Nigeria, including several off cycle polls.
Localizing further, one of the key figures in ADA, the former Governor of Kaduna State, a key henchman of the delusive coalition, Nasir El-Rufai, has failed woefully in his two-term administration in the state. This shows that the leaders of the coalition are mere failures who can no longer be trusted to even become Local Government Councilors, not even to talk of toppling a highly performing APC-led administrations at the centre and in Kaduna State,alongside other sub-nationals.
To drive this formidable point further home, El-Rufai has gotten his match in the person of the indefatigable and pious people’s governor, Gov. UBA Sani.
He is indeed the Messiah needed to take Kaduna State to the promised land and salvage it from the clutches of underdevelopment that it was heinously plunged into by El-Rufai and his cohorts.
Sen. Uba Sani has indeed positively changed the terrible negative narratives in the state in a jiffy, and Kaduna State has been happily and steadily on the path of growth, development, and socioeconomic prosperity in the last two years. He has also trudged on in this positive direction in spite of the huge challenges he inherited from his immediate predecessor.
The above came to the fore during the recent one-day state visit to Kaduna State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In fact, a testament to this was that the elated president was happy all true, and he couldn’t hide it sequel to the myriad of achievements.recorded by the Sen. Uba Sani APC-led administration.
He described the Gov. Uba Sani-led Kaduna State as Nigeria’s most promising frontiers of progress and purpose. Tinubu said, “What Kaduna is doing is a clear sign of what is possible when the sub-national governments are empowered, trusted, and supported from the centre to do more.” He was full of praises for the governor, and he publicly urged other governors to emulate the trailblazing efforts of Gov. Uba Sani if they really want their states to catch up with the contemporary world.
There were also several testimonies about the Sen. Uba Sani-led administration from several high-profile guests and citizens of Kaduna State during the epochal visit. They variously passed votes of confidence on the current administration in the state as being piloted by Sen. Uba Sani.
All the speakers have positive compliments about the governor, and they coincidentally corroborate in describing him as a bulldozer who never tires in profeling Kaduna State to greater heights. They also appealed to the people of the state to have renewed confidence in Sen. Uba Sani, emulating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
They included former Vice President Namadi Sambo and a former Governor in the state, Speaker, House of Representatives, Dr Abbas Tajuddeen, the Chairman of the Kaduna State Elders Forum, retired Gen. Zamani Lekwot, Emir of Zazzau, Amb. Ahmed Buhu Bamalli and NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, among several others.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Government has swiftly reacted to some nefarious attempts by Nasir El-Rufai to surreptitiously claim what is not his as regards retinue of projects executed by the incumbent administration in the state as commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently.
A statement by Ibraheem Musa
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor said that the attention of the Kaduna State Government has been drawn to the bare-faced lies disseminated by the former Governor of Kaduna State, His Excellency, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, regarding the projects recently commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his visit to Kaduna.
It added, “In a widely circulated television interview, Malam El-Rufai falsely claimed that all the projects commissioned by Mr. President was initiated by his administration. This assertion is not only misleading but a blatant distortion of the truth.”
The state government said that it was imperative to set the record straight, saying: “During his official visit to Kaduna State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, commissioned three major projects, Institutes of Vocational Training and Skills Development, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital, Kaduna as well as 100 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Buses.
The statement continued that the three Institutes of Vocational Training and Skills Development were fully initiated and completed by the administration of Governor Uba Sani, CON. These include Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa Institute, Rigachikun, Col. Dangiwa Umar Institute, Soba and Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Institute, Samaru Kataf.
The statement averred, “These institutes are pivotal to Governor Uba Sani’s human capital development agenda, designed to equip Kaduna’s youth with practical, future-ready skills. Collectively, they are projected to graduate at least 36,000 youths annually.
“The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has certified these institutions as the best-equipped skills development centres in Nigeria. According to NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, Kaduna State has emerged as the “hub of skills development in Nigeria.”
The statement further quoted Bugaje as affirming that no Polytechnic or University of Technology in the country matches the facilities and modern equipment found in the institutes at Rigachikun, Samaru Kataf, and Soba. This recognition is a direct outcome of Governor Uba Sani’s strategic investments in education and youth empowerment.
Musa added in the statement that the 100 CNG buses are another initiative of Gov. Uba Sani’s administration, launched to provide reliable and eco-friendly transportation while mitigating the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
“As part of the government’s social welfare commitment, workers, retirees, and students will enjoy free rides for the first six months, with substantially subsidized fares available to the general public thereafter,”Gov. Uba Sani was quoted as patriotically vowing
The statement said that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital was originally conceived during the administration of His Excellency, Arc. Namadi Sambo, GCON. At the commissioning ceremony, Vice President Namadi Sambo openly acknowledged that three successive administrations failed to complete the hospital and commended Gov. Uba Sani for his leadership and resolve in finally delivering the project.
It continued, “Upon assuming office, Governor Uba Sani met the hospital at just 53% completion. The structure had no medical equipment, despite the huge sums that had allegedly been spent. The uncompleted facility had become a symbol of waste, mismanagement, and abandonment.
“The completion and full equipping of the 300-bed Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital became a top priority in Gov. Uba Sani’s broader healthcare revitalization programme. He also launched the rehabilitation and upgrade of several General Hospitals across the state, many of which had been left in disrepair.
“Today, these revitalized health facilities are enhancing access to quality healthcare and contributing to the reduction of multidimensional poverty in Kaduna State.”
The state government also maintained that the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Specialist Hospital stands as a signature achievement of Gov. Uba Sani’s administration. He gave it his all—failure was never an option.
It said, “The project’s successful completion has earned widespread acclaim, and President Tinubu was effusive in his praise of Governor Uba Sani’s transformative impact on the healthcare sector.
“In light of these tangible and verifiable achievements, Malam Nasir El-Rufai’s resort to distortions and falsehoods is regrettable but not surprising. While he is entitled to his opinions, facts remain sacred. Governor Uba Sani has succeeded where others faltered. No amount of revisionism can rewrite the truth.”
In a related development , the Kaduna State Government said it remains steadfast in its commitment to good governance, transparency, and sustainable development.
” We will not be distracted by misinformation or political bitterness. Our focus is on serving the people of Kaduna State and building a united, inclusive, healthier, and more prosperous society—free from toxicity, discrimination, division, and exclusivity,”it said.
Similarly, the Kaduna State Government has exposed a desperate and dishonest attempt by former Governor Nasir El-Rufai to claim credit for landmark projects recently commissioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during his official visit to the state.
In a press release, the government described El-Rufai’s televised claim—that all the commissioned projects were initiated under his administration—as a “bare-faced lie” and a shameless distortion of the truth.
“The facts are too glaring to twist,” said Chief Press Secretary Ibraheem Musa. “Malam Nasir El-Rufai may be good at talking, but Governor Uba Sani is delivering. Kaduna people see the difference.” The government emphasized that while El-Rufai is entitled to his opinion, he is not entitled to fabricate history.
In a related development, in its reaction to this development, the Uba Sani Legacy Projects Solidarity Assembly ( ULEPSA) a press statement signed by Khadija Mohammed, Director of Strategic Communication, it declared: “No amount of political spin or revisionism can erase Uba Sani’s concrete achievements. El-Rufai should sit this one out.Conclusively,from the foregoing, it is tangibly evident that those nursing the coalition to supposedly oust President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other APC flag bearers at all levels will have their hopes shattered as the citizens of Nigeria already have renewed hopes in the President and the APC Governors. This happy story is the same in Kaduna State as the people who want continuity and sustainability of the ongoing democratic revolution by the APC at all levels. So, 2027 is too guaranteed for APC at all levels by the special grace of God .
Dan-Gaskiya is a Public Affairs Analyst, based in Kaduna.
