The Governorship aspirant under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Isah Ashiru, has appealed to delegates and members of the party to support his ambition during the party\u2019s governorship primaries, describing himself as the most experienced and electable candidate capable of defeating the incumbent governor, Uba Sani, in the 2027 election.<\/p>\n
Speaking during consultations with party stakeholders and delegates in Kaduna, Mr Ashiru said the ADC needs a candidate with deep grassroots acceptance, political experience and a proven electoral structure across the 23 local government areas of the state.<\/p>\n
According to him, Kaduna voters are yearning for a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that the ADC has the opportunity to become the rallying platform for those seeking political change in the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have remained consistent in Kaduna politics since the return of democracy in 1999. I understand the people, their struggles and their expectations. What ADC needs now is a candidate with the capacity to mobilise support across all regions of the state,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Seen as the most sellable candidate<\/p>\n
Political observers and party supporters have increasingly described Mr Ashiru as the strongest aspirant within the ADC fold because of his longstanding political relevance, name recognition and widespread support base.<\/p>\n
The former member of the House of Representatives was the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election.<\/p>\n
Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Mr Uba Sani winner of the election, many opposition supporters insisted that Mr Ashiru enjoyed broader public support during the polls.<\/p>\n
The election result was subsequently challenged in court, generating months of legal and political controversy before the courts eventually upheld Mr Uba Sani\u2019s victory.<\/p>\n
However, the perception among many opposition supporters that Mr Ashiru was \u201crobbed\u201d of victory in 2023 has continued to strengthen his political profile ahead of the next election cycle.<\/p>\n
Grassroots network built since 1999<\/p>\n
One of the major factors working in Mr Ashiru\u2019s favour is his extensive grassroots network built over more than two decades in Kaduna politics.<\/p>\n
Since Nigeria\u2019s return to democratic rule in 1999, he has remained active in the state\u2019s political landscape, cultivating relationships with traditional leaders, youth groups, community associations and political stakeholders across different parts of Kaduna.<\/p>\n
Supporters believe his popularity cuts across Southern Kaduna, Kaduna Central and parts of Northern Kaduna, giving him broader appeal than many of the other aspirants within the ADC.<\/p>\n
Analysts say his political staying power and visibility over the years make him one of the few opposition figures capable of mounting a serious challenge against the APC structure in the state.<\/p>\n
ADC Banking on Opposition Realignment<\/p>\n
Mr Ashiru\u2019s move into the ADC is also being viewed as part of a broader opposition realignment ahead of the 2027 elections.<\/p>\n
The party has recently attracted politicians and supporters dissatisfied with internal disputes in the larger political parties, particularly the PDP.<\/p>\n
Within ADC circles, there is growing belief that presenting a candidate with electoral experience and established popularity could significantly improve the party\u2019s chances in Kaduna.<\/p>\n
Some party members argue that Mr Ashiru\u2019s near-victory in 2023 already provides the ADC with a tested political asset capable of consolidating opposition votes against the ruling APC.<\/p>\n
Tough Contest Ahead<\/p>\n
Despite the growing support around his ambition, Mr Ashiru is expected to face competition from other aspirants seeking the ADC governorship ticket.<\/p>\n
However, many party loyalists believe his experience, visibility and existing political machinery place him ahead of the pack.<\/p>\n
With Kaduna expected to remain one of the key battleground states in northern Nigeria ahead of 2027, political observers say the emergence of Mr Ashiru as ADC candidate could reshape the contest and pose a significant challenge to Governor Uba Sani and the APC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Governorship aspirant under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Isah Ashiru, has appealed to delegates and members of the party to support his ambition during the party\u2019s governorship primaries, describing himself as the most experienced and electable candidate capable of defeating the incumbent governor, Uba Sani, in the 2027 election. Speaking during consultations with party […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[81,171,320,35,180],"class_list":{"0":"post-1161","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-abuja","9":"tag-hausa","10":"tag-isah-ashiru","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-premium-times"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/academicsdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/academicsdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/academicsdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academicsdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academicsdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1161"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/academicsdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1163,"href":"https:\/\/academicsdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161\/revisions\/1163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academicsdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/academicsdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academicsdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/academicsdaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}