Katsina State Governor Malam Dikko Umaru Radda on Thursday officially picked his expression of interest and nomination forms, signaling the formal launch of his 2027 re-election campaign.
The forms were presented to the governor at the Government House in Katsina by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Legal Adviser, Murtala Aliyu Kankia, in what party officials described as a peaceful and orderly exercise, a pointed contrast, they noted, to the turbulent form-procurement processes witnessed in several other states across the federation.
The event, attended by a constellation of party heavyweights, traditional institution representatives, and senior government officials, underscored the APC’s determination to project unity and organizational coherence ahead of polls still more than a year away.
Yet beneath the celebratory atmosphere lay a clear-eyed acknowledgement from Governor Radda himself: the road to 2027 will not be without its obstacles.
Perhaps the most significant political development embedded within Thursday’s ceremony was not the picking of forms itself but the process that made it possible—a consensus arrangement that the APC in Katsina State has adopted as its framework for determining candidates across various electoral positions.
Governor Radda was unambiguous in his pride over the arrangement. “This consensus arrangement reflects our shared commitment to unity, understanding, and the progress of our party and the state,” he told the gathering, framing the process as evidence of what he called political maturity and collective responsibility within party ranks.
Kankia, who facilitated the purchase and delivery of the forms following the completion of the consensus process statewide, reinforced this narrative. He described Katsina as “a shining example of leadership and democratic governance,” pointing to the contrast between the state’s orderly proceedings and the chaotic scenes that have accompanied similar exercises elsewhere in the country.
“We have presented and distributed the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms to all consensus candidates across the state in a peaceful and orderly atmosphere,” Kankia stated, adding that as National Legal Adviser, he personally ensured all Katsina forms were transported and distributed with fidelity to the agreed framework.
The legal adviser also confirmed that all eligible aspirants who emerged through the consensus process were issued the necessary forms for further screening — a detail that suggests the party’s internal vetting machinery is already in motion.
Despite the celebratory mood of the evening, Governor Radda struck a notably sober tone in his remarks—one that spoke less to the triumphalism of an incumbent comfortable in power and more to the strategic instincts of a politician who understands that Nigeria’s political terrain is treacherous and unforgiving.
“This is not the time to relax. Anyone who believes there will be no challenges in the coming elections is only deceiving himself,” the governor warned, directing his words pointedly at those who may be tempted to treat the consensus arrangement as an assurance of electoral victory rather than merely a starting point.
His call to action was specific and grounded in political pragmatism. Candidates who emerged through the consensus process were urged to return to their constituencies, rebuild relationships with local stakeholders, and resist the temptation of resting on the laurels of internal party endorsement.
“You must reconnect with the people, listen to them, and carry them along to secure victory at the polls,” Radda said, a statement that carries particular weight coming from a governor who understands that the gap between party approval and voter approval can be perilously wide.
In a gesture that spoke to the need for post-consensus reconciliation, the governor also urged winning candidates to actively engage those who contested alongside them during the consensus process. “I encourage all those who emerged through consensus to go back and work with those who aspired alongside them for the overall success of our party,” he said, an acknowledgment that not all ambitions were fully satisfied and that disappointed aspirants must be brought back into the fold if the party’s coalition is to hold.
The event also served as a platform for reviewing the progress of the consensus process across Katsina State’s three senatorial zones. Kankia reported that zonal committee reports had been presented during the exercise, with the Katsina Zone report delivered under the leadership of Senator Ibrahim Ida, the Waziri of Katsina, and the Funtua Zone report led by former Deputy Governor Hon. Tukur Ahmed Jikamshi.
However, not all was entirely smooth. Kankia disclosed that the Daura Zone report was still being awaited at the time of the ceremony due to the absence of that zone’s committee chairman, a minor but notable gap in an otherwise tightly managed process that the party will be keen to resolve swiftly.
The guest list at Thursday’s event was itself a statement of political intent. Among those in attendance were APC State Chairman Bashir Gambo Saulawa; the Waziri of Katsina Senator Ibrahim Ida; Chief of Staff Hon. Abdulkadir Mamman Nasir; Principal Private Secretary Hon.
Abdullahi Turaji and former Deputy Governor Hon. Tukur Ahmed Jikamshi are a convergence of government, party, and traditional influence that the APC is clearly hoping to translate into electoral dominance in 2027.
Kankia closed with a note of confidence that encapsulated the party’s public posture heading into the electoral season. “The level of support and cooperation we are receiving from the people shows that APC will succeed and deliver on its mandate,” he said.
With forms now in hand and the consensus process substantially complete, the focus for the APC in Katsina State shifts to the grassroots, the wards, the local government councils, the markets, the mosques, and the community meeting points where Nigerian elections are ultimately won or lost.
Governor Radda, a first-term incumbent seeking to consolidate his hold on power in a state that has historically been among the APC’s most reliable strongholds in the North-West, will need to demonstrate that his administration has delivered enough tangible progress to justify another mandate. His own warnings about complacency suggest he is clear-eyed about that imperative.
As Nigeria’s political class begins its long march toward 2027, Katsina‘s APC has at least managed what many of its counterparts have not — a relatively peaceful, consensus-driven internal process that projects unity. Whether that unity holds under the pressures of a real electoral campaign remains, as it always does in Nigerian politics, the defining question.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Katsina Governor Dikko Radda has formally declared his 2027 re-election bid, backed by a smooth APC consensus process that party officials say sets the state apart from the political disorder seen elsewhere in Nigeria.
While the internal party machinery appears united, Radda himself issued a stark warning against complacency, making clear that a party ticket is not a victory guarantee.
