Isa Ashiru, a former contender for the Kaduna governorship under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has won the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ticket for the 2027 elections. The primary election saw Ashiru garnering 86,113 votes, a decisive victory that places him as the party’s standard-bearer.
Jafaru Sani, who previously served as Kaduna’s education commissioner, trailed in second place with 29,580 votes. Other aspirants in the race included Professor Muhammad San-Bello, who secured 13,559 votes; Ahmed Tijjani with 13,550 votes; and Shuaibu Mikati, who polled 10,819 votes.
Ashiru’s political journey includes previous runs for governor under the PDP banner in both 2019 and 2023. In 2019, he lost to former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and in 2023, he was defeated by the incumbent Governor Uba Sani after accumulating 719,000 votes.
Despite his victory, the ADC primary in Kaduna was not without controversy. Some House of Representatives aspirants from the party have rejected the outcome, citing irregularities during the exercise. Samaila Makarfi, speaking on behalf of the aggrieved aspirants, labeled the process a sham and demanded a review of the primaries.