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Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu
“Mr. Chairman, I, Senator Uba Sani, is formally declaring today, my intention to seek to contest the gubernatorial primaries of our great party, the APC and indeed the main election in 2023 to succeed my leader and mentor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufa’i as the next Governor of Kaduna State”
-Sen. Uba Sani (APC, Kaduna Central)
In his recent television appearance, Governor Nasir El-Rufai spoke about his desire to hand Kaduna state over to someone who had undergone some tutelage in governance and policy and resource management. Such a person, he said, must be one who understands the mindset of the people, their hunger for peace, rapid development of their state and the need to carefully manage the state in such a way that it will deliver value to the greater number of the people, if not all of them. His host had pushed him to pronounce a name and even went as far as mentioning names of some commissioners that had been touted as possible APC flagbearers for Kaduna state. El-Rufai refused to make any disclosures.
He, however, said that with the leadership style that he had adopted for Kaduna state, he has a core team comprising of National Assembly members and members of his cabinet, each of who is empowered with the requisite leadership skills to carry on his transformational mission in the state to a higher level. Almost one week after El-Rufai made these disclosures on television, Sen. Uba Sani, who represents Kaduna Central in the Senate of the Federal Republic, publicly declared his interest to seek the mandate of Kaduna people to become their next governor.
Making his intention known at a declarative event in Kaduna on Tuesday, Sani said: “I have so much to say, and I will say a lot in the coming days, weeks and months but today I just want to convey the good news to millions of concerned citizens and residents of Kaduna State. You will not be abandoned, the progress we have made under Mallam El – Rufai will never in any way be reversed or even stagnate. In fact, we are poised to consolidate the achievements and legacies of the phenomenal Mallam Nasir El Rufa’i and take them to higher levels for the collective good and the best interest of the good people of Kaduna State.”
Sani, who is just about rounding-off his first tenure in the senate, an office he displaced Comrade Shehu Sani to occupy since 2019, was at a time, Special Adviser on Public Affairs to President Olusegun Obasanjo. He has very good understanding of the workings of government and policy development and management. His sojourn at the Red Chamber has been spotlighted by a high degree of seriousness, commitment, focus, discipline and character. This is reported in his ability to sponsor 27 bills out of which nine have been passed by the Senate while two have been assented to by President Mohammad Buhari and have become law.
The bills include the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2020 and Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria Act (Amendment No.3) Act 2021, which have already been signed into law. His Federal Medical Centre, Rigasa, Kaduna State (est. etc.) Bill, 2019, Fire Arms Act Cap F28 LFN, 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2021 and, Federal College of Education Giwa, Kaduna State (est. etc.) Bill, 2019 have been passed by the Senate.
Other bills sponsored by Sen. Sani, which are at various levels of legislative action include Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Alteration) Bill 2020, Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Alteration) Bill 2020, Foreign Exchange (Control & Monitoring) Act 2004 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2020, National Human Rights Commission Act (Amendment) Bill 2020, NDLEA Act CAP NO.3 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2020, Police Service Commission Act 2001 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2020, Institute of Information and Communication Technology Kaduna South (Est., Etc.) Bill 2020, Nigeria Police Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020, State Police Service Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2020, Care and Protection of Child Parents Bill, 2019, Federal College of Forestry Technology and Research, Birnin-Gwari, Kaduna State (est. etc.) Bill, 2019 and The University of Technology Kaduna State (est. etc.) Bill, 2019.
Other are,Factoring, Assignment and Receivables Financing Bill, 2021, Motor Vehicle (Third Party Insurance) Act Cap M23 Cap M23 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill, 2021, Recovery of Public Property (Special Provisions) Act Cap R4 LFN 2004 (Repeal) Bill, 2021, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute, Chikum (Establishment) Bill, 2021, Act Authentication Act Cap A2 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill, 2021, Arbitration and Conciliation Act Cap A18 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2021, Criminal Code Act Cap C38 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2021, Freedom of Information Act 2010 (Amendment Bill) 2022, Child’s Right Act 2003 (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and, Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention Etc.,) Act, 2015 (Amendment) Bill 2022.
Thus far, Sen. Sani is the only senator of the Federal Republic, who had gone beyondrhetoric in seeking to restructure the security architecture of Nigeria by sponsoring a bill for the decentralization of the Police system and as a consequence, create state police as well as State Police Service Commission. This answers to the clamour for the creation of state police in the country. To this end, Sen. Sani said: “I support and I am currently pushing for a return to a true federalism with a view to rejig Nigeria’s security apparatus so it can better serve Nigerians.”
Sen. Sani has his eye on things that will add value to life and also create opportunities. As a senator, he has engaged himself in activities to promote agriculture because of its capacity for massive job creation through the value-chain and is setting his gaze on security, social welfare, healthcare, job creation and youth employment, education as well as facilitating constituents’ access to federal government’s interventions.
With eyes on the future, Sani told Kaduna people that “I do not seek to become the Governor of Kaduna State because of any pecuniary or personal aggrandizement. Kaduna State, by the grace of God and through the efforts of Mallam Nasir El Rufai has crossed this evil threshold. Every kobo that accrues to this State shall be spent to actualize the very needs of the greatest number of our people irrespective of their geographical location within the State.”
Sen. Sani has put his legs out for the 2023 race. Others are watching. However, it is not yet a fait accompli for him. It is expected that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the others, will give him, and the APC, a good run for the Kaduna top job. PDP, which lost the state to APC in the 2015 general election is desirous to wrest power from APC. But the transformational leadership deliverables of the El-Rufai era stand as a tall challenge to the party. This has created a new narrative, and indeed, a suggestion that it will be difficult to dislodge APC from Kaduna in 2023. The preponderance of opinion within Kaduna APC however, is that Sen. Sani is the preferred choice and will eventually succeed Governor El-Rufai.
