A former Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has said Kaduna State's Muslim-dominated North and Christian-dominated South have united under one political platform ahead of the 2027 presidential election for the first time since the return of democracy in 1999.
Sani made the remarks while addressing State House correspondents after the Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, and Senator Sunday Marshall met with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.
He stated, "Kaduna State was the old capital of Northern Nigeria, and since 1999 the northern parts of the state have been voting either APP, CPC, or APC.
"But the southern part, which is predominantly Christian, has been voting for the PDP.
"This is the first time in the history of our state where the Muslim North and the Christian South are all united and resolved to re-elect Governor Uba Sani and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027."
Sani attributed the unity to achievements on the ground over the last two and a half years.
"The resolve is factored on the verifiable achievements on the ground that have been made in the last two and a half years.
"We have seen the intervention by the federal government in all areas: health, education, and infrastructure, and the governor of the state has been able to build bridges between the North and the South. He runs an all-inclusive government," Sani explained.
He added that Governor Uba Sani and President Tinubu have given Kaduna State "a new lease of life" compared to the situation before 2023.
"Our presence here is to assure Mr President that we will do everything possible, using the factors on the ground, the projects on the ground, the achievements that have been made, to ensure that we pay back for all that he has done for us," Sani stated.
Speaking, Abbas explained that the alignment follows the recent defection of Senator Marshall from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress less than two months ago, along with Representatives and State Assembly members from the PDP.
"My brother, Distinguished Senator Sunday Marshall, not quite two months ago, decamped from PDP to join us in APC, along with all the other Rep members and House of Assembly from the PDP extraction," he revealed.
Abbas, who represents the northern zone of Kaduna, said the visit was to brief the President on the progress of APC in the state and assure him of a landslide victory in 2027.
"We are here to just pay a courtesy visit to Mr. President, our father, to brief him about the progress of APC in Kaduna, and to tell him that APC has been accepted 100 percent in all the nooks and crannies of Kaduna, and to assure him as well that 2027 is guaranteed, landslide from zone one to zone two to zone three," Abbas stated.
He noted that in previous elections, APC acceptability was limited to zones one and two, but Governor Sani has successfully reached out to zone three, which was previously predominantly PDP.
"Today, the story is, APC is the dominant party in all three zones," the Speaker declared.
Senator Marshall, representing Kaduna South Senatorial District, said his zone has embraced the APC due to federal interventions and inclusive governance.
"We've seen what the President has done, particularly for my senatorial district; he has given us a university, he has given us a Federal Medical Centre, and the governor has done so many projects in our senatorial district that never used to happen before.
"That showed us inclusiveness, and that's why we are embracing the APC wholeheartedly," Marshall said.
He assured that stakeholders are still working to bring those "sitting on the sidelines" into the APC fold ahead of 2027.
Kaduna State, which served as the capital of Northern Nigeria during colonial rule and the First Republic, has historically been divided along religious and regional lines in electoral patterns, with the northern zones voting for progressive parties while the southern zone remained a PDP stronghold.