The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Sokoto State has dismissed ongoing moves to form a political coalition in Northern Nigeria, describing it as a gathering of “paperweight politicians” with no electoral relevance.
Speaking to PUNCH in an exclusive interview at the Government House in Sokoto on Saturday, the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Isa Sadiq-Achida, said emphatically that “even if any so-called coalition’s emerges in Northern Nigeria, Sokoto alone will deliver enough votes to bridge any gaps for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the North.”
He specifically questioned the political relevance of former Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai, claiming that the former governor had lost touch with the people of his home state, particularly the Southern Kaduna.
“I doubt that Malam Nasir El-Rufai will have any meaningful political relevance in Kaduna, especially considering how deeply he hurt the people of Southern Kaduna during his tenure. He didn’t even allow them to vote freely,” he said.
Sadiq-Achida, who also weighed in on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, alleged that the PDP leader was battling both internal crisis and dwindling support in his home state of Adamawa.
“Everyone knows that Senator Aishatu Binani won that election, but something else happened. Atiku is even still struggling with his own governor, and his traditional title was stripped recently. That tells you everything you need to know.”
He further described those behind the Northern coalition as individuals with little grassroots support, stressing that,
Those forming these coalitions are not real politicians. They’re politicians on paper. Many of them can not even win their polling units,” he maintained.
Citing the case of former Senator Abubakar Gada, the Sokoto APC Chairman accused him of being a spoiler within the APC before defecting to the Social Democratic Party, where he contested and lost woefully in the 2023 governorship race.
“Take Senator Abu Gada, for instance. He was sponsored to cause division in the APC. He went to court and lost. He later joined the SDP and contested for governorship. Out of 3,900 polling units in Sokoto, he got only 230 votes. He didn’t win even a single polling unit.”
He added that Gada’s political base in his native Gadawa was virtually non-existent, claiming that most residents hardly knew him.
“He spent most of his life working at the NNPC. It was during Governor Wamakko’s administration that he was brought into politics and handed a senatorial ticket. After he won, he turned against Wamakko. Once the ticket was taken from him, he couldn’t win anything again, not even his polling unit,” he added.
Thus, Sadiq-Achida reaffirmed the ruling party’s strength in Sokoto and expressed confidence that the state would deliver resounding support for President Tinubu and the APC in future elections.
