Uba Sani, Kaka and the Making of a North-West Campaign Machine

The APC has made two appointments in the North-West that deserve more than a passing mention.

Governor Uba Sani has been entrusted with coordinating the zone, while Hon. Abdulazeez Abubakar Kaka has been given the responsibility of driving youth mobilisation. Put together, these appointments could be the early foundations of a formidable North-West campaign machine for 2027.

And the political logic behind the combination is difficult to miss.

Governor Uba Sani brings political experience, institutional authority and a strong understanding of the North-West political environment. As Governor of Kaduna State, he occupies a position of considerable political relevance within the region, while his experience in managing diverse interests gives him an important advantage for a responsibility that goes beyond any single state.

As Zonal Coordinator, his task is not simply to coordinate campaign activities. It is to help bring governors, party leaders, elected representatives, stakeholders and grassroots structures into a coherent regional strategy.

That requires political maturity. It requires consultation.

It requires the ability to manage different interests while keeping everyone focused on one objective.

And that is where Uba Sani’s role becomes particularly important. But political coordination alone is not enough.

For any serious presidential campaign in the North-West, the youth constituency must be at the centre of the strategy.

This is where Kaka comes in.

The appointment of Abdulazeez Abubakar Kaka as Zonal Director, Youth Mobilisation, is a recognition of the growing importance of organised youth participation in Nigerian politics.

The assignment goes far beyond social media activity or mobilising crowds for rallies. Effective youth mobilisation requires networks, communication, organisation and sustained engagement at the grassroots.

It requires understanding how young people think, where they get their information, who influences them and, most importantly, how political enthusiasm can be transformed into structured participation.

Kaka’s responsibility will therefore be to take the campaign deeper into the youth constituency across the seven states of the North-West and build a mobilisation structure capable of reaching beyond the traditional political class.

And this is where the appointments become particularly strategic.

Uba Sani provides the political coordination. Kaka drives the youth mobilisation.

One brings the experience and political weight required to coordinate the broader structure. The other brings the energy, youth connection and mobilisation focus required to expand the campaign’s reach.

Together, they represent two important sides of what a modern presidential campaign needs.

But appointments are only the beginning.

The real test is delivery.

The campaign cannot afford to remain a conversation among political elites in Abuja or on social media. It must reach wards, polling units, communities, youth networks, traditional structures, party members and ordinary voters.

The Renewed Hope message must be communicated in terms people understand. The administration’s policies and achievements must be taken directly to the people. Concerns must be heard and addressed. Party structures must be strengthened. And political enthusiasm must be converted into organised action.

That is the real work ahead.

There is also no room for a one-size-fits-all approach.

The North-West is a major political region, but it is not politically homogeneous. Kano has its own dynamics. Kaduna has its own realities. So do Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara.

A successful regional campaign must understand these differences while maintaining a common strategic direction.

That will demand coordination, constant engagement and a willingness to work across political and geographic boundaries.

This is why Governor Uba Sani’s appointment matters.

And this is why Kaka’s appointment matters.

The former has been given the responsibility of helping to align the political structure across the region. The latter has been given the task of energising and organising one of the most important constituencies in the electoral equation.

The combination is deliberate.

The objective is clear.

And the timing is significant.

The 2027 election will not be won by slogans alone. It will be won through organisation, communication, mobilisation, political structure and the confidence of voters.

The North-West will be central to that contest.

With Uba Sani providing strategic coordination and Kaka driving youth mobilisation, the APC now has the opportunity to build a campaign structure that is broader, deeper and more connected to the people.

The appointments have been made.

The responsibility is clear.

Now comes the harder part: turning structure into mobilisation, mobilisation into votes, and political confidence into electoral delivery.

The North-West has been given its assignment.

The machine must now be built.

Abu Ammar writes from Kaduna.