The resignation of Muhammad Bello, former Director-General of Governor Uba Sani’s 2023 Campaign Council, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) has intensified concerns about internal cohesion within the ruling party in Kaduna State, just over a year to the 2027 general elections.
Mr Bello, a former Commissioner for Education and later Commissioner for Information, formally withdrew his APC membership in January and joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Political observers describe the move as one of the most symbolic defections so far, given his central role in delivering Governor Sani’s electoral victory in 2023.
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His exit comes against the backdrop of the parting of ways between Governor Sani and his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai, with whom he once shared a close political alliance.
Mr Bello joined the ADC and was appointed as a member of the committee reviewing the party’s constitution.
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A professor-turned-politician, Mr Bello made key contributions to policy and decision-making in the state government for two years before resigning from the government and subsequently from the party.
A party losing familiar faces
Beyond Mr Bello’s defection, attention is increasingly being drawn to the quiet withdrawal of several prominent political actors who were visible during the early APC consolidation in Kaduna and played active roles in past election cycles.
Figures such as Suleiman Hunkuyi, a former senator, and Yusuf Hamisu, a former governorship aspirant during the early years of the Fourth Republic, were part of the wider political movement that once rallied around Governor Sani. Today, however, they are largely absent from frontline party activities.
Although indications suggest they remain aligned with the party and the governor, their reduced public presence compared to previous years has been noticeable.
For analysts, the reduced visibility of such figures raises questions about elite disengagement and its potential impact on grassroots mobilisation.
“These are politicians with deep local networks,” said a Kaduna-based political analyst, Imran Bello, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES in Kaduna. “When they go quiet or step aside, it weakens the party’s reach, especially at ward and local government levels.”
El-Rufai factor still looms
Although Nasir El-Rufai is no longer governor, his shadow still looms large over Kaduna politics. His public disagreement with Governor Sani fractured what was once a tightly coordinated political structure that dominated the state for nearly a decade.
Mr Bello’s defection is widely interpreted as an indirect alignment within this broader rift, reinforcing perceptions that the APC in Kaduna has yet to recover from the post-transition shock fully.
“El-Rufai built a system that relied on loyalty, structure, and discipline,” said another observer, Gideon Malam. “Once that system fractured, it became difficult to maintain internal consensus.”
Mixed signals from voters
Residents of Kaduna metropolis, Zaria, and Southern Kaduna who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES suggest that while the APC still commands a significant base, voter confidence can no longer be taken for granted.
A civil servant in Kaduna North, Farouk Abashe, noted that political engagement has declined since the elections.
“People who mobilised voters in 2023 are no longer as active. You can feel the difference,” he said.
In Sabon Gari, a trader expressed hope and assurance for the APC, however. “ The governor is delivering in infrastructure, and the people are also applauding him for uniting the state. But some believe it is not enough.”
Implications for 2027
While Governor Sani retains the advantages of incumbency, the unfolding developments suggest that the APC may face a more competitive political environment in the next election.
Political parties such as the ADC and PDP could benefit from elite defections if it continues to happen, especially if they succeed in converting symbolic exits into grassroots momentum.
For the APC, the challenge ahead appears twofold: first, to rebuild internal trust among aggrieved stakeholders and to re-energise party structures that once relied heavily on influential political actors who are now either inactive or aligned elsewhere.
A test of political management
Ultimately, the exit of Mr Bello may prove less significant as an isolated event than as a signal of tensions within the Kaduna APC. How the party manages reconciliation, inclusion, and political messaging over the next year could determine whether it enters the 2027 elections as a united force or a fragmented incumbent.
For Kaduna voters, the coming months may reveal whether the ruling party can turn internal challenges into renewal or whether the cracks will widen into electoral vulnerabilities.
