The governor also disclosed that Kaduna State currently pays N6.7 billion monthly from its Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) revenue to service loans inherited from previous administrations.
The Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has predicted that President Bola Tinubu will secure between 70 and 80 per cent of Kaduna State votes in the 2027 presidential election.
The governor argued that his assessment was based on political trends, voting data and what he described as the Tinubu administration’s impact on Kaduna State.
He dismissed suggestions that the APC’s growing strength in the state was mere political rhetoric, saying the state’s electorate was highly politically conscious and increasingly judged governments by their performance.
“Kaduna, just write it down, put it down that I, Uba Sani, am saying Asiwaju will get nothing less than between 70 per cent to 80 per cent votes,” the governor said.
Governor Sani said the political dynamics that shaped the 2023 election in Kaduna, particularly in Southern Kaduna, had changed significantly.
According to him, many voters in Southern Kaduna supported opposition parties in 2023 partly because most of the prominent political leaders from the area, including senators and members of the House of Representatives, were then aligned with opposition parties.
He said the situation had changed, with several of those political figures now moving into the APC.
The governor specifically mentioned Senator Sunday Katung, who, he said, had previously led political opposition to the APC but is now in the ruling party.
“No one forced them,” Mr Sani said, attributing the realignment to what he described as the projects and interventions of the Tinubu administration in Kaduna.
Mr Sani listed the establishment of a federal university of science and technology in Kachia and a federal medical centre in Kafanchan among the projects he believes could strengthen support for Mr Tinubu in the state.
The governor said residents of Kaduna, particularly communities that had historically complained of marginalisation, were demanding concrete development rather than political promises.
He said he had personally raised the issue of infrastructure deficits in Kaduna with Tinubu.
The establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia and a Federal Medical Centre in Kafanchan has also been highlighted by Southern Kaduna political leaders as significant interventions in the area.
The governor also disclosed that Kaduna State currently pays N6.7 billion monthly to service loans inherited from previous administrations.
He said the repayment obligation would continue until 2048.
Mr Sani stressed that his administration had not taken any new loan since he assumed office in May 2023.
“Since I became governor, I have not borrowed one kobo,” he said, adding that the figures could be verified from the records of the Debt Management Office.
However, the governor said the debt burden had not prevented his administration from investing in development, but required careful management of the state’s resources.
The claim that the debt was inherited from the previous administration has become a recurring issue in Kaduna’s fiscal and political debate.
Mr Sani’s reference to inherited liabilities comes against the backdrop of ongoing legal proceedings involving his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Mr El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna from 2015 to 2023, is currently in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) pursuant to court orders.
The ICPC has brought criminal charges against the former governor over allegations including corruption, abuse of office and money laundering, allegations which remain subject to determination by the courts.
The commission has also filed an amended 11-count charge relating to an alleged N8.68 billion CCTV contract.
The ICPC said Mr El-Rufai remains in lawful custody under a court-authorised remand order. A Kaduna State High Court also declined his latest bail application on medical grounds in June 2026.
Mr El-Rufai has denied wrongdoing and has continued to challenge aspects of his detention and the proceedings in court.
