Former chief of staff and political ally of ex-Governor Nasir El Rufai, Alhaji Bashir Sai’du, has promised to deliver Zazzau emirate to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the coming elections to demonstrate his political clout.
Mr Bashir, who recently defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) with his teeming supporters, gave this assurance when the special adviser on domestic affairs, Isa Lawal, visited him at his residence.
Speaking during the visit, Mr Bashir pledged his full commitment to the APC, adding that he will prove to those who said he left the ADC alone that he defected with thousands of his supporters to the ruling party.
Mr Bashir, who was also Commissioner of Finance during the last administration, said that the result of the coming election will be different in Zaria Local Government Area, vowing to exceed past records.
He promised that the APC will get more votes in Zaria than the people gave President Muhammadu Buhari in past elections, adding that about 3,091 like-minded people who are card-carrying members of the ADC from Lere Local Government Area are on their way to joining the APC.
The former chief of staff, who spoke in Hausa, also said about 4,000 such people are in some local governments, vowing that those who doubt his capacity will witness his strength.
‘’I will not boast about my capacity in other areas, but in the 11 local governments of Zazzau emirate, we will show our strength and no one has the kind of followers that we have,’’ he said.
According to Mr Bashir, he is equally politically grounded in Igabi and Kaduna South local governments as he is in Zaria.
He pointed out that his supporters are not just run-of-the-mill politicians but people he can trust, and that he has already joined the APC with 10,000 of them.
‘’We will prove that Allah has endowed us with supporters, and these people believe in us politically. We have been meeting and fashioning out modalities of how we will win elections.
‘’This will not preclude the state government from planning independently. When the time comes, if there is a need to blend with us, fine. If you want us to plan concurrently and we meet at the polls, it is also ok,’’ he added.