By Kazeem Waris
Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has warned supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to brace for a new phase of political campaigning ahead of the 2027 general election, declaring that the opposition has moved beyond Facebook and Twitter to artificial intelligence (AI).
Sani, who spoke on Saturday in Kaduna at the flag-off of the APC presidential campaign, urged party supporters to remain vigilant against emerging digital campaign strategies, including the use of AI.
“The opposition have now upgraded their campaign from Facebook and Twitter to AI. So, I want to call the attention of our supporters to prepare, be watchful and be vigilant,” the governor said.
In an apparent reference to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Sani challenged the opposition’s perceived northern candidate to present a verifiable record of achievements rather than rely on regional identity to win votes.
“When someone came to us and said we should vote for him simply because he is a Northerner, we asked him, ‘Can you show us your track record?’ Until this moment, the so-called Northern candidate has not shown us his track record, Mr President. No track record, and we keep asking,” he said.
The governor argued that the APC’s campaign would be anchored on what he described as the achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, particularly in infrastructure, security, transportation and agriculture.
Addressing the President, Sani said history would remember Vice President Kashim Shettima for infrastructure projects executed in northern Nigeria under the current administration.
“I pointed out to him that, as Vice President under you, more than 1,000 kilometres of roads have already been constructed in the northern part of Nigeria,” he said.
He subsequently challenged the opposition’s northern candidate to identify comparable road projects delivered for communities in the North-East during his tenure as vice president.
“Can you show us 200 kilometres of road that you were able to help the people of the North-East with while you were Vice President? Till this moment, we have not seen one,” Sani said.
The Kaduna governor expressed confidence that voters in the state and across northern Nigeria would support Tinubu’s re-election bid, saying the region was prepared to reward the President at the polls.
“That is why today we are affirming our resolve as a people to massively come out in January 2027 to vote for continuity. We are voting for a promise keeper to continue with the good work he is already doing in Kaduna State and in general,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the governors’ present, particularly those from the North, Sani assured Tinubu of electoral support, pointing to the large crowd that welcomed the President from the airport to the campaign venue.
“I want to thank you, Mr President, and assure you that the people of Northern Nigeria will repay you with their votes,” he said, adding that supporters would turn out on January 16, 2027, to vote for the President.
Birnin Gwari road, security gains
Sani also recalled Tinubu’s visit to Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State on December 22, 2022, during the presidential campaign, when the area was grappling with severe insecurity.
According to him, Tinubu defied advice against visiting the community, which he described as the epicentre of insecurity in the North-West at the time. The journey from Kaduna, he said, took about four hours, with 27 armoured vehicles accompanying the convoy.
The governor said the President had fulfilled two major promises made during that visit, citing the reconstruction of the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road and progress on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway.
“Mr President, today I can assure you that the two promises you made have been fulfilled,” he said.
On the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road, Sani said the 123-kilometre project, which he described as having been abandoned for more than 40 years, was now being reconstructed, with N117 billion released to the contractor.
“Today, you can travel to Birnin Gwari with your eyes closed without a single police escort, Mr President. That is progress, Mr President,” he said.
He also said the reconstruction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway was nearing completion, recalling Tinubu’s assurance that the N740 billion required for the project would be paid.
“As we are speaking, Mr President, 95 per cent of the work has been completed,” the governor said.
Sani further claimed that more than 90 per cent of Kaduna residents who travelled to the campaign venue through the Abuja route had not experienced any kidnapping incident.
$865m metropolitan rail project
The governor thanked Tinubu for selecting Kaduna as the pilot state for the metropolitan red line project, disclosing that $865 million had been approved for the initiative.
He said Mota-Engil, the contractor handling the project, informed him the previous week that it had mobilised $300 million for the approximately 50-kilometre corridor.
On agriculture, Sani commended the President’s support for the sector, describing it as unprecedented in the country’s history.
“No leader in the history of Nigeria has supported agricultural transformation as substantially as you have done, Mr President, and that is a record,” he said.
APC to campaign on achievements — Yari
Earlier, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, said the party would base its campaign on the administration’s record in infrastructure, healthcare, education and human capital development.
“We Nigerians, at the head of this campaign, are going to campaign with our records. Our records are there. The infrastructure is there. What you did in health, education and human capital development is there,” Yari said.
He disclosed that the party had been engaging traditional rulers, Islamic scholars and imams to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election.
Yari expressed confidence in the President’s electoral prospects in northern Nigeria, declaring that the region was firmly behind him.
“Northern Nigeria is 101 per cent for you, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, by God’s grace. And the promise we have made, you are going to see it on January 16, 2027,” he said.
