By Sam Biodun Ogundipe in London

Vice President Kashim Shettima has praised Kaduna state governor, Senator Uba Sani, saying his leadership is steadily turning the state into a one-party stronghold following a wave of defections to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Shettima made the remark at the weekend during the commissioning of the Tudun Biri Resettlement Scheme .
The Vice President of the Federal republic of Nigeria commended the Governor for what he described as deliberate and inclusive efforts to strengthen the ruling party’in Kaduna state by Senator Uba Sani purposeful leadership .

Reflecting on the outcome of the 2023 general elections, Shettima recalled that the APC recorded heavy losses in Kaduna before the recent political realignment in the state .

“Governor Uba Sani, we are most grateful. You are gradually turning Kaduna into a one-party state, with House of Representatives members representing Soba, Makarfi and Kudan on their way to the APC,” the Vice President said.

“In 2023, we lost all three Senate seats to the PDP. Out of the 16 members of the National Assembly, the APC had only four. The PDP had 10, while the Labour Party had two,” he said .

VP Shettima noted that several prominent opposition figures had defected to the APC, including former Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero and Senator Sunday Mashal

He described recent developments in Southern Kaduna as unprecedented, noting that the zone had consistently elected senators on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since 1999.

“This is the first time in living memory that the APC has a senator in Southern Kaduna, due to the singular effort of Governor Uba Sani,” he said.