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By Alexander Babandimoche
For keen observers of Governor Uba Sani’s administration in Kaduna State, his desire for equity, justice, fairness and inclusion since he took the reins in May 2923 has been top-notch. He has demonstrated it in words and in deed in all aspects. Last week, he took this ‘campaign’ even higher with the formal introduction and announcement of Mr. Jerry Adams, FCTI, FNIM, CNA, Executive Chairman of the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service, as his running mate for the 2027 governorship election.
The announcement signalled a deliberate restoration and return to a long-standing understanding that had helped to hold a diverse state together. It was somehow whimsically set aside in 2019 and carried forward into 2023 under circumstances largely outside the then-candidate’s control.
But a week ago, Governor Uba Sani, in a Facebook post that quickly went viral wrote: “Today, we take another decisive step in our collective journey towards building a more united, peaceful and inclusive Kaduna State. After wide consultations, deep reflection and earnest prayers, I am delighted to announce the nomination of Mr. Jerry Adams, FCTI, FNIM, CNA, as my running mate in the 2027 Governorship Election. This decision is far greater than the selection of a deputy governorship candidate. It is a reaffirmation of the values that have guided our administration since I took the oath of office on 29 May 2023; the values of inclusion, justice, fairness, equity and the unwavering conviction that every citizen of Kaduna State deserves a genuine sense of belonging.”
That declaration elicited instant applause and commendation across the state and the nation. The choice restored the traditional pairing that respects the two dominant religions of Islam and Christianity and the geographic and cultural divide between Northern and Southern Kaduna.
For years after the return to democracy in 1999, that formula provided a practical framework for power-sharing and a sense of belonging. Governor Uba Sani, a Muslim from the North, has now paired himself with a Christian from the South. The announcement ends the Muslim-Muslim tickets fielded by the All Progressives Congress in the state in 2019 and 2023.
To understand the weight of the moment, one must recall the sequence of governors and deputies since 1999. Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, a Muslim from the North, governed from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. His first deputy was Stephen Shekari, a Christian from Southern Kaduna; after Shekari’s death in 2005, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, also a Christian from the South, completed the term and continued as deputy under the next administration. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Muslim from the North, served as governor from 29 May 2007 until 19 May 2010, when he became Vice President. His deputy, Yakowa then became governor from 20 May 2010 until his death in a helicopter crash on 15 December 2012; his deputy was Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, a Muslim. Yero completed the term as governor from December 2012 to 29 May 2015, with Nuhu Audu Bajoga, a Christian from Southern Kaduna, as deputy.
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai took office on 29 May 2015 with Barnabas Yusuf Bala (also known as Barnabas Bala Bantex), a Christian from Southern Kaduna, as deputy. That ticket still reflected the established balance. In 2019, however, El-Rufai nominated Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, a Muslim woman, as his running mate. The decision broke the religious formula that had been observed, with varying degrees of consistency, since 1999. Critics at the time described the move as unilateral and dismissive of the sensitivities of Southern Kaduna and the Christian population. Supporters framed it as a rejection of what they called zoning politics in favour of competence and gender inclusion. Whatever the stated rationale, the effect was the same: for the first time in the democratic era, both the governor and deputy governor positions were occupied by Muslims.
The arrangement continued into 2023. Uba Sani, then the APC candidate, retained Hadiza Balarabe as running mate. Sources close to that campaign and subsequent public commentary have repeatedly noted that the continuity was shaped by the political realities and power dynamics inherited from the outgoing administration, circumstances largely beyond the new candidate’s full control at the time.
Uba Sani’s 2026 announcement therefore closes a chapter that has been hugely resented and condemned. It returns the ticket to the earlier pattern: a Muslim governor from the North and a Christian deputy from the South.
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Importantly, Jerry Adams is not merely a symbolic choice. As head of the state’s internal revenue service, he has built a reputation for competence, institutional reform, and professional delivery. The governor’s public statement deliberately framed the decision as an affirmation of inclusion rather than a concession extracted by pressure.
The socio-political significance runs deeper than electoral arithmetic. Kaduna State has long lived with the tension between its northern and southern zones and between its Muslim and Christian communities. Violent crises over the years have left deep scars. In such an environment, political symbols matter a lot.
Though the traditional pairing of governor and deputy was never a perfect guarantee of peace, but it functioned as a visible signal that both major groups had a stake at the highest level of state power. When that signal was removed in 2019, many in Southern Kaduna interpreted it as confirmation of their marginalisation. Critics labelled it and “affront”, “disregard” and a “dismissal” of whatever values the Christian community represents in Kaduna State, fueling bottled resentments and antagonisms. Again, that decision by Nasir El Rufai was widely read as an assertion that the dominant political forces could rearrange power without meaningful consultation or regard for established understandings. Whether spite was the motive or not, the perception of high-handedness took root and contributed to lingering distrust.
By restoring the formula, Governor Uba Sani is attempting to rebuild that sense of belonging. The move communicates clearly that equity is not a slogan reserved for campaign periods but a principle that can shape the composition of the ticket itself. It also positions the governor as a leader willing to correct a previous departure from consensus politics even when that departure occurred under a predecessor from the same party.
In a state still recovering from cycles of violence and mutual suspicion, such a gesture carries practical as well as moral weight. It lowers the temperature of identity politics, expands the circle of those who feel represented, and makes it harder for spoilers to mobilise around claims of permanent exclusion. The announcement also carries implications for the broader politics of Northern Nigeria.
Kaduna’s experience under the earlier formula showed that competence and balance are not mutually exclusive. Jerry Adams’s professional record allows the administration to argue that inclusion and capacity can travel together. For Southern Kaduna communities that have long complained of political underrepresentation, the choice of a credible Christian running mate offers tangible recognition.
Critics may argue that zoning itself is an outdated or even undemocratic practice that prioritises identity over ability. The counter-argument, grounded in Kaduna’s recent history, is that in a deeply plural society with a record of violent conflict, deliberate inclusion is a form of risk management and nation-building that must be applauded. Ignoring the religious and zonal balance did not eliminate identity politics; it merely concentrated resentment. Returning to the older arrangement does not solve every grievance, but it removes one structural source of alienation.
Governor Uba Sani’s first term has been marked by efforts to stabilise security, improve infrastructure, and manage the state’s finances more transparently. The running-mate decision extends that approach into the realm of political symbolism and power-sharing. It suggests a governor who understands that lasting peace requires not only the absence of violence but the presence of fairness that citizens can see and feel. By choosing Jerry Adams, he has told the people of Southern Kaduna and the Christian community that their place at the table is recognised once more. He has also told the wider state that the politics of spite or unilateral imposition need not define Kaduna’s future.
This decision must be seen for what it is: a deliberate attempt to complete a circle that began with the democratic experiment of 1999, but interrupted in 2019, and is now being closed in the interest of unity, equity, and a broader sense of belonging. Whether the gesture translates into deeper structural reforms and sustained peace will depend on the years ahead. For the moment, however, Governor Uba Sani has made clear that the quest for inclusion is no longer deferred. It has come full circle.
• Babandimoche, a community leader and good governance advocate, writes from Kafanchan, Jema’a LGA, Southern Kaduna
