Bomba Dauda
A coalition of Southern Kaduna groups has distanced itself from recent calls for the consideration of the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s running mate in the 2027 general election.
The coalition made its position known at a press conference following comments credited to the President of the Southern Kaduna United People’s Association (SOKAPUA), Engr. Samuel Tabara Kato, who had reportedly praised President Tinubu for appointing General Musa and suggested that Southern Kaduna people were aligning with calls for his consideration as a vice-presidential candidate.
The coalition said the statement was a personal opinion of Engr. Tabara and did not reflect the collective position of the people of Southern Kaduna.
According to the group, the claim was not the outcome of any broad-based consultation with the various interest groups in the zone.
“The call for General Musa as a running mate remains a personal opinion and does not represent the position of Southern Kaduna people,” the coalition said.
The groups also faulted the timing of the call, noting that it came when communities in Southern Kaduna were still mourning and grappling with the abduction of over 170 persons in Kurmin Wali village, Kajuru Local Government Area, a few days earlier.
They described it as inappropriate for leaders of socio-cultural organisations to focus on 2027 political permutations while families were still in distress over abducted relatives.
The coalition, however, acknowledged the competence of General Musa, describing him as an astute and credible army general whose intelligence expertise continues to benefit the nation.
They stressed that his immediate responsibility was to ensure the safety and security of Nigerians, rather than being drawn into early political speculation.
The group urged President Tinubu and Nigerians to disregard the claims attributed to Engr. Tabara and called on leaders of socio-cultural organisations to exercise restraint in their public utterances, especially at a sensitive period marked by insecurity.
Notwithstanding their criticism, the coalition expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for appointing General Musa as Minister of Defence, saying Southern Kaduna people valued the confidence reposed in him and other federal government investments in the area.
They also commended the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, for his response to the Kurmin Wali attack.
According to the coalition, Governor Sani visited the affected community, identified with grieving families and mobilised workers and equipment to commence construction of the road leading to Kurmin Wali to improve access for security personnel.
They added that security was reinforced in the area, enabling the community to resume Sunday worship barely a week after the abduction.
The coalition called on Nigerians to desist from circulating what it described as divisive and distracting narratives capable of heating up the polity or diverting the attention of the Minister of Defence from his core responsibility of safeguarding the country.
The statement was jointly signed by Dr. Simon Majimre Binawa (Southern Kaduna Community Development Associations), Comrade Nasiru Jagaba (Alliance for Northern Development), Comrade Aruwa Alhassan (Conference of Autochthonous Ethnic Nationalities in Nigeria, Kaduna Chapter), Comrade Sabastine Bahori Luka (Southern Kaduna Renaissance Front), Edward John Auta (Southern Kaduna Patriots for Good Governance), Arc. Samuel Yakubu (Southern Kaduna Professionals Forum), and Comrade Hyelda Yaduma (Forum of SOKAPU Youths Branch Chairmen).
