Kaduna Central: Can Uba Sani match his predecessors?

From 1999 to date, four persons have represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District at the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly. Can the present occupant, Uba Sani, match his predecessors?

Kaduna Central senatorial zone has sent four people to the Senate between 1999 and 2019. They are Senators Ahmed Aruwa, Gen. Sani Saleh, Shehu Sani and Uba Sani.

The zone had always been won by the opposition party until 2015 when the opposition became the ruling party and its candidate represented it.

Contest for the position has always been characterized by high drama, even when Senator Aruwa was returned three consecutive times.

But even with the melodrama that attended such contests, the one that may not be forgotten quickly is that between Senator Shehu Sani and the incumbent Senator Uba Sani due to the intrigues and suspense involved.

Prior to the election, Shehu Sani had leveraged on his civil society experience to project a larger than life image outside Kaduna that made him appear unmatchable in terms of popularity.

With Uba Sani, his major challenger coming from the same civil society background, people were curious over how the contest between the two former friends and colleagues in the struggle would pan out.

Shehu Sani tried to get the national body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to give him an automatic ticket.

Uba Sani however countered that by insisting on a primary which he later won. When Shehu Sani failed in the bid to get the APC ticket, he left for another party, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), but lost the election to Uba Sani.

However, 100 days since the inauguration of the National Assembly, there are debates on whether the Uba Sani has been able to proceed with a gravitas worth the attention of his constituents and observers.

Kaduna-based media consultant, Malam Nasir Dambatta, believes the senator has started well because before now, Kaduna Central was in the news for the wrong reasons as quality representation was not there.

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), however think the senator had emasculated the opposition when he was serving as Special Adviser on Political Affairs to Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, a charge he repeatedly denied till his exit from that office.

They also argue that the lawmaker is yet to make significant impact at the Senate.

A critical look at the period under review, however, reveals that the senator has been able to take some important steps in the business of law making that resonated with the populace.

Within the first week after inauguration of the Ninth Assembly, Uba Sani moved a motion aimed at saving the image of the Senate due to a physical assault on a lady in Abuja by a senator from Adamawa State.

The senator with his colleagues also facilitated the special bill on upgrading the National Eye Centre, located in Kaduna.

His election to the Senate has also restored hope that the $350m dollar World Bank loan issue which suffered a setback in the last Assembly due to its opposition by the three senators from the state will be revisited.

Last month, Uba Sani was also the first Nigerian senator to launch what looked like a massive assault against South African authorities for failing in their responsibilities of saving Nigerians against xenophobic attacks in that country.

Outside the Red Chamber, the senator has set up constituency offices in the seven local governments that make up the Senatorial Zone, employing young graduates to man the offices. He has also set up the ward contact offices, providing jobs for 25 young men and women.

While the Senate was on recess, the lawmaker travelled to the seven LGAs of Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone with strong messages of hope and gratitude to the people of his constituency.