2027: Zaura pledges 100% support for Tinubu, Yusuf, Shekarau, APC candidates
KANO (North-West, Nigeria) — Abdulsalam Abdulkarim, popularly known as A. A. Zaura, an All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant for Kano Central Senatorial District, has dismissed insinuations that he may engage in anti-party activities following his failure to secure the party’s ticket.
Zaura pledged his full support for President Bola Tinubu, Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf, the APC’s Kano Central senatorial candidate, Sen. Ibrahim Shekarau, and other party candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He made this known in a phone interview with newsmen in Kano, saying his failure to clinch the senatorial ticket would not prevent him from mobilising his supporters and resources for the party’s success.
Zaura said that in a democratic contest, only one aspirant could emerge as the party’s candidate, adding that those who failed to secure tickets should remain patient and support whoever emerged.
“Because I was not given the opportunity, should I start fighting the party or engaging in anti-party activities? No. If somebody has been given the opportunity, I will support him,” he said.
He recalled that he had been selected to contest in the 2023 election and that he and his supporters had accepted the outcome, stressing that political opportunities could come to other aspirants at different times.
According to him, the inability to secure a ticket does not mean that an aspirant is no longer a party member or that the party does not value his contributions.
“Today, this year may not be our time; it is another person’s time. When my own time comes, we will participate in an election, God willing,” he said.
Zaura said he and his supporters would devote their time and resources to mobilising voters for the APC candidates across constituencies.
He added that although his activities would now focus on supporting the party’s candidates rather than campaigning for himself, his commitment to the APC remained unchanged.
The aspirant urged his supporters to work for the success of Yusuf, Shekarau and other party candidates, saying the forthcoming elections required collective efforts.
On his campaign against drug abuse in Kano, Zaura dismissed suggestions that the initiative had been abandoned, explaining that consultations with stakeholders and the development of an intervention framework were still ongoing.
He said the initiative had engaged religious and traditional leaders, academics, businesspeople and other stakeholders to develop sustainable solutions to drug abuse and the reintegration of affected persons into society.
According to him, the next phase will focus on rehabilitation, skills acquisition, counselling, education and community reintegration.
Zaura said the initiative was awaiting the completion of a study to guide its intervention, with the final report expected before the end of October.
He said a team of local and international experts would be involved in implementing the programme after the study was concluded.
The aspirant emphasised that the initiative was non-political and intended to benefit communities irrespective of political affiliation.
He said the programme would also seek to address stigma against people recovering from drug abuse and support their reintegration into their families and communities.
Zaura reiterated that his political support for the APC and his commitment to tackling drug abuse in Kano remained firm.
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