Opposition yet to unveil campaign plans in Katsina

With less than 100 days remaining before the commencement of the 2027 general election campaign season, opposition parties in Katsina State have yet to publicly inaugurate their campaign councils or unveil comprehensive strategies for the forthcoming polls.

The development has come into prominence as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 elections, with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state taking proactive steps to organise its campaign machinery and set it running.

Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, who is seeking re-election on the APC platform, is expected to face challenges from key opposition figures, including Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Garba Yakubu Lado-Danmarke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), among others.

While the APC has begun putting structures in place for the Tinubu/Dikko 2027 campaign, the absence of similar publicly announced activities by the opposition has raised questions about their preparedness for the electoral contest and their strategies for challenging the ruling party.

Usman Abba of the Sustainable Democracy Initiative (SDI) noted that inaugurating campaign councils, appointing directors, and mobilising party structures are vital steps toward coordinating political activities, engaging voters, and communicating candidates’ agendas to the electorate.

However, he added that the absence of publicly announced campaign arrangements does not necessarily mean opposition parties are inactive; some may be conducting internal consultations, strengthening grassroots structures, and resolving organisational challenges behind the scenes.

For the ADC, which has emerged as a major platform for several opposition figures in the state, the challenge will be translating its political structures into a coordinated campaign capable of reaching voters across Katsina’s 34 local government areas.

The party’s apparent silence in the state’s political arena recently became a subject of criticism during the inauguration of the APC’s Tinubu/Dikko campaign council.

Former Secretary to the Katsina State Government (SSG), Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, who recently left the ADC, mocked the party’s approach.

Inuwa, who serves as co-chairman of the Katsina APC campaign council, described the ADC as a “social media-based political party,” accusing it of concentrating on criticizing the ruling administration rather than building a visible political presence on the ground.

“If President Tinubu does or says something, the ADC will be on one of the social media handles criticising him. The same thing happens here in Katsina. Whenever the state government does something, the ADC will take to social media,” he said.

However, the ADC rejected Inuwa’s assessment, arguing that social media has become a powerful tool for political mobilisation, public engagement, and electoral success.

In a rejoinder, Aliyu Mohammed Kurfi, Deputy Director-General of Ahmed Babba Kaita (ABK) LINK and the party’s media representative in Katsina, described the former SSG’s comments as outdated political thinking.

Kurfi cited Nigeria’s 2015 general election, Senegal’s 2024 presidential election, Ghana’s 2024 election, Kenya’s Gen Z protests, former US President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, and Nigeria’s #EndSARS movement as key examples of how digital platforms can influence political outcomes and public mobilisation.