The political contest ahead of the 2027 elections has entered a new phase in Southern Kaduna, with Hon. Victor Mathew Bobai, Senior Special Adviser on Public Affairs to Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and Convener of Friends of Christopher G. Musa, declaring that the region has effectively become a closed political territory for the opposition.
Speaking on Invicta Radio in Kaduna over the weekend, Bobai described the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s ongoing mobilisation as evidence of what he called a ‘total shutdown’ across the 12 local government areas of Southern Kaduna. He said, ‘It is no longer politics; it is a total shutdown,’ listing Kaduna South, Chikun, Kajuru, Kachia, Kagarko, Kaura, Kauru, Sanga, Jema’a, Zangon Kataf, Lere and Jaba as areas where, according to him, the party had built formidable grassroots structures ahead of 2027.
Bobai said the APC’s strength in the area had been reinforced by the emergence of the party’s Deputy Governorship Candidate, Jerry Adams, whom he described as a grassroots politician capable of driving the party’s mobilisation across the region. ‘From Kaduna South, Chikun, Kajuru, Kachia, Kagarko, Kaura, Kauru, Sanga, Jema’a, Zangon Kataf, Lere and Jaba is a shutdown for His Excellency, Comrade Jerry Adams,’ he said. ‘Opposition should look elsewhere, but these LGAs are already sealed and dusted for the APC. We are proud to associate with his energy.’
He added, ‘With Tinubu’s federal university and medical centre in Southern Kaduna, Uba Sani’s roads and hospitals, Jerry Adams’ grassroots fire, and General CG Musa’s Command Schools, Army recruitment drive, MUSAWAH welfare and 23-LGA door-to-door machine, Southern Kaduna is not just sealed; it is bolted, locked and the key thrown into River Kaduna.’
According to Bobai, the APC’s argument in Southern Kaduna goes beyond campaign rhetoric, insisting that the party’s political mobilisation is being supported by what he described as visible evidence of development under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani. ‘The lockdown is not by mouth. It is by visible evidence of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani, now reinforced by the collaborative efforts of the Minister of Defence, retired General Christopher Gwabin Musa,’ he said.
He cited the approval of the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia and the Federal Medical Centre in Kafanchan as federal interventions that, he said, had strengthened the APC’s appeal in Southern Kaduna. He also pointed to major transport and infrastructure commitments in Kaduna, including road projects and other development initiatives, as evidence of the federal government’s attention to the state.
Bobai further highlighted the Uba Sani administration’s road and healthcare projects across Kaduna State, saying the government was implementing more than 78 road projects covering approximately 775 kilometres. He specifically mentioned the Magajiya-Amaru-Unguwan Liman road and the Madauchi-Madakiya-Kafanchan corridor, adding that the 23-kilometre Madauchi-Kafanchan road through Madakiya had been completed and commissioned, while the Jaba-Kwoi road had also been flagged off.
Beyond roads, Bobai cited the upgrading of 255 healthcare centres, the renovation of 15 general hospitals, including Kachia General Hospital, and the completion of 62 new secondary schools. He argued that the infrastructure projects were becoming an important part of the political conversation in Southern Kaduna, particularly because of their direct impact on communities.
The governor’s aide also identified what he called the ‘CG Musa factor’ as another major component of the APC’s emerging grassroots mobilisation strategy. He said General Christopher Gwabin Musa, Minister of Defence and former Chief of Defence Staff, had become associated with interventions in schools, clinics, boreholes, peace-building initiatives and other community-focused programmes, particularly in areas affected by insecurity.
Bobai said the approach also involved youth engagement and development initiatives designed to provide young people with alternatives to criminality and insurgent recruitment. He referenced the Musawah for Youth and Development Initiative, which he described as a platform to encourage youth and women’s participation in national development, and said the Friends of CG Musa network had expanded its grassroots structures across Kaduna’s 23 local government areas.
He said the mobilisation strategy was designed to go beyond rallies and large gatherings by taking political engagement directly to communities and households. ‘House to house. Door to door,’ Bobai said, adding that the Friends of CG Musa network intended to intensify grassroots engagement across the North-West, with Kaduna serving as a major centre of mobilisation for President Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani ahead of the 2027 elections.
Bobai also linked the political mobilisation to security, citing Governor Uba Sani’s revival of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service and plans to recruit 7,000 youths into the community-based security structure. He said the combination of infrastructure delivery, healthcare, education, youth mobilisation, welfare interventions and security initiatives had created what he regarded as a formidable grassroots structure for the APC ahead of 2027.