A coalition of support groups for the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Alhaji Isa Kudan, on Friday, endorsed the Labour Party’s candidate in state, Jonathan Asake, ahead of the 2023 governorship race in the state.
The coalition under the aegis of the ‘Coalition of Support Groups of Honourable Isah Ashiru Kudan in Kaduna State in 2019 General Election,’ also asked for the withdrawal of the PDP’s governorship candidate from the 2023 race in the state.
The coalition comprises ‘Ashiru/Katung Youth Vanguard’; ‘Sarkin Bai Southern Kaduna Support Group,’ ‘Ashiru/Katung Mobilisation Network’ that worked for the governorship candidate of the PDP in 2019 poll.
According to the coalition, for equity, fairness and justice, the 2023 governorship race should be ceded to the Southern Kaduna that had only governed the state for just two years since its creation under the short-lived late Ibrahim Yakowa administration.
The coalition also zeroed their choice to the governorship candidate of the Labour Party who is also the National President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU).
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Coalition, Joel Garba and Gideon Sardauna respectively, and released in Kaduna on Friday.
Although the groups noted that it remained the constitutional right of the PDP governorship candidate to vie for the seat in the state, it would be morally wrong of zone one (Northern Kaduna) where he hailed from to continue to dominate the political scene.
Adducing reason for endorsing the Labour Party’s candidate, the groups noted that “he is an experienced politician” and an astute leader who had served the people credibly well over the years.
The statement partly read, “A Coalition of Support Groups of Honourable Isah Ashiru Kudan in Kaduna State in the 2019 General Election has advised him to pull out of the 2023 election contest and support Honourable Jonathan Asake, the President of Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) who is the Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) from Southern Part of the State.
“The coalition is made up of Ashiru/Katung Youth Vanguard; Sarkin Bai Southern Kaduna Support Group, Ashiru/Katung Mobilisation Network among others.
“It is the constitutional right of Ashiru to contest, but will be morally unjust for Zone One (Northern Kaduna )that has held unto power for over 10 years out of the the 23 years since the Military returned power to civilians, thereby leaving Zone Two (Kaduna Central) and Three (Southern Kaduna) to share the remaining 13 years out of which Zone Three governed for barely two years; it is, therefore, fair and just for Zone Three Candidate to emerge as the governor in 2023.
“We recognise the fact that there are candidate across various parties but our call for Ashiru to back out and support Asake is based on the fact that we worked for him in 2019, and was disappointed that he couldn’t win his own Kudan Local Government, and as it stands today, nothing much has change. Therefore, the need for someone from Zone three to try his luck.
“Asake is the leader of Southern Kaduna People that are spread across at least 14 Local Government Areas with population not less than 4.5 million persons and voting strength of almost 2 million.
“He is also an experienced politician who served as a Member of the House of Representatives, Interim Management Committee Chairman of the Zangon Kataf LGA, a former Lecturer among others which make him more than competent to lead the state.
“He has proven himself to be good manager of diversity and lover of humanity which he manifested in his unrelenting advocacy to end the Southern Kaduna killings.
“We, therefore, call on lovers of Kaduna State to support Honourable Jonathan Asake for Governor, while prevailing on Honourable Isah Ashiru to step down in order to build synergy among the opposition elements in the state.”
