Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani says the All Progressives Congress (APC) is targeting three million votes in Kaduna State in the 2027 general elections.

He announced the target on Saturday in Zaria during a reception for former Kaduna State Commissioner for Finance, Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, and other politicians who defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the APC.

Sani said the party had increased its target from two million votes, citing the growing number of supporters joining its ranks. He added that Kaduna has 4.6 million registered voters, with 96 per cent reportedly having collected their Permanent Voter Cards.

The governor said the APC would intensify grassroots mobilisation through door-to-door campaigns to secure victory across the state.

He also urged residents to support the party, citing projects and political appointments the federal government had provided to Kaduna State.

Among the prominent defectors are Sa’idu, a former Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Finance under ex-governor Nasir El-Rufai; former Commissioner for Education Jafaru Sani; and former Senator Suleiman Abdu Kwari, who also served as commissioner for finance under El-Rufai.

Sa’idu claimed that more than 200,000 ADC members and supporters had joined the APC through his political group, Kaduna De-Initiatives.

He said the group became dissatisfied with the ADC’s leadership and candidate-selection process, alleging that the party’s affairs were controlled by a small group.

The defections followed disagreements over the ADC’s governorship primary, in which Isah Ashiru emerged as the party’s candidate for 2027 after securing 86,113 votes. Uba Sani, who also contested the primary, came second with 29,580 votes and rejected the outcome, alleging irregularities.

Sa’idu declared that the ADC had lost its political relevance in Kaduna following the defections and predicted that the party would finish third in the state in the 2027 elections.

The political realignment comes amid growing divisions among politicians previously associated with El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna from 2015 to 2023.

El-Rufai recently reflected on relationships with former associates in a statement, saying he had no regrets about supporting people and causes he believed in, even when others did not reciprocate.

The impact of the defections on Kaduna State’s political landscape remains to be seen as parties prepare for the 2027 elections.