2027: Radda Seeks Forgiveness, Warns APC Members Against Expecting ‘Awuf’ Victory

BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has appealed to party members and anyone who may have been offended by decisions taken under his administration to forgive him, calling for reconciliation and unity within the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Radda made the appeal on Saturday in Katsina while inaugurating the APC campaign council established to coordinate the re-election campaigns of President Bola Tinubu and himself.

Declaring his readiness to work with all members, the governor said he held no grudges against anyone in the party and remained open to those willing to join its ranks.

“I have no grudge against anybody in the party, and I welcome everyone who wants to join the party,” he said.

He urged party leaders and supporters to put their differences aside, strengthen internal cooperation and begin intensive grassroots mobilisation, warning that APC members could not afford to assume that the party's popularity alone would guarantee victory at the polls.

According to him, winning elective offices in 2027 would require deliberate campaigning, voter engagement and collective effort across polling units, wards, local government areas and the state.

“The time to get into any seat of power by awuf has gone. Come out and campaign massively for votes,” Radda declared, using the Hausa expression for something obtained without the expected effort to stress the need for hard work rather than complacency.

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The governor further described every APC member as an ambassador of Tinubu and other party candidates, urging them to demonstrate loyalty through active participation in the campaign and the promotion of the party's interests at all levels.

He expressed optimism about the APC's chances in Katsina and other parts of the country, while encouraging members to remain united and focused on securing electoral victories in 2027.

Radda also thanked the people of Katsina for their support and patience with his administration over the past three and a half years, saying the government had recorded infrastructure development across all 34 local government areas of the state.

He highlighted the regular payment of monthly allowances to APC officials at the state, local government and ward levels as another measure his administration had sustained to support the party's organisational structure.

Earlier, APC State Chairman, Dr Bishir Gambo-Saulawa, praised the governor for strengthening the party and supporting the construction of its newly completed state secretariat, describing the facility as a distinctive addition to the party's infrastructure.

Gambo-Saulawa also said the party's candidates in the state had been duly certified by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He acknowledged the contributions of former state chairman, Sani Ali, who initiated the secretariat project.

As part of the campaign council inauguration, Radda appointed Gambo-Saulawa as deputy chairman, while architect Ahmed Dangiwa was named Director-General and Abdullahi Aliyu Turaji appointed Secretary-General. Alhaji Sani Aliyu was named organising secretary.

The Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, also commended the governor for the infrastructure projects recorded in Katsina, saying President Tinubu had directed her to work closely with Radda to advance the state's development.

The inauguration signals the APC's move to strengthen its political machinery in Katsina as preparations gather momentum for the 2027 elections, with the governor's appeal for forgiveness and insistence on grassroots campaigning placing party unity and mobilisation at the centre of its strategy.