Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has reportedly dumped the Muslim-Muslim ticket model introduced by his predecessor, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, and opted for a running mate from Southern Kaduna ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The move, if officially confirmed, would mark a USmajor departure from the political arrangement that has defined Kaduna politics since 2019, when El-Rufai first introduced a Muslim-Muslim ticket with Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe – also from Southern Kaduna – as his deputy. Governor Uba Sani retained the same ticket in the 2023 election.
Sources indicate that the decision is part of Governor Uba Sani’s peace-building and inclusive governance strategy, aimed at healing long-standing ethno-religious divisions in the state and giving a stronger sense of belonging to predominantly Christian Southern Kaduna.
Southern Kaduna stakeholders have in recent months intensified calls for a balanced ticket, urging the governor to pick a Christian deputy from the zone in 2027.
The choice of a deputy from Southern Kaduna is seen as a strategic move to consolidate his support base in the zone, which played a key role in his 2023 victory.
Since 1999 all governors ran with persons of different faiths until 2019 when El-Rufai opted for Dr. Hadiza Balarabe as running mate.
Meanwhile ADC governorship candidate Isa Ashiru Kudah has already chosen Irmiya Kantyok, a Christian from the Southern Kaduna as running mate.
As at press time no official statement from the Kaduna State Government or the All Progressives Congress (APC) announcing the new running mate.
-9News Nigeria.
