More Radda Appointees May Quit As Political Realignments Deepen in Katsina

More political appointees may resign from the Katsina State Government in the coming days as political realignment intensifies within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections.

Sources within the government confirmed to our correspondent that many politicians or political office holders are interested in what they can get within this period to boost their relevance in society.

The development follows the resignation of at least five political appointees serving under Governor Dikko Umaru Radda within days, raising questions over whether the departures are isolated cases or the beginning of a wider movement away from the governor’s political camp.

Those who have resigned include the Commander-General of the Katsina State Hisbah Board, Dr Aminu Usman (Abu Ammar); his deputy in charge of operations, Muhammad Shitu Maslaha; Chairman of the Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Kabir Bature Sarkin Alhazai; Senior Special Assistant on Project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation, Fadila Sani Dalhatu; and Special Adviser on Youth Development, Abubakar Soja Tsanni.

None of the former appointees has publicly stated that the reported political disagreement involving Radda and Ibrahim Kabir Masari was the reason for their resignation.

However, the timing of the departures has fuelled speculation about shifting loyalties within the APC in Katsina.
Sources familiar with developments said more political appointees could quit in the coming days, although no additional names have been officially confirmed.

The administration has meanwhile moved to fill some of the vacant positions, with Radda approving the appointment of seven officials, including a new chairman of the Pilgrims Welfare Board and a new Commander-General of the Hisbah Board.

The swift replacements indicate an effort by the administration to maintain continuity in government despite the recent departures.

Beyond the resignations themselves, attention is increasingly shifting to the political destination of the former appointees.

Political sources have alleged that some of those who resigned have moved closer to the camp of Ibrahim Kabir Masari, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Political Affairs.

The allegation, however, has not been publicly confirmed by the affected former appointees.

A political science lecturer at Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina, Bala Abdullahi, said the movement of political actors between camps could be driven by expectations of political and material benefits rather than ideological commitment.

According to him, politicians who enter government with high expectations could seek alternative political platforms or camps when those expectations are not met.

“Because of that lack of political ideology, and because their expectation is not met, and another door is now open for them to also think that their expectation will be met there,” Abdullahi said.

He argued that politicians who were genuinely committed to serving the people would be less likely to abandon a political camp simply because their immediate expectations were not fulfilled.

“The governor should be selecting individuals with people at heart, not individuals with material things at heart,” he said.

Asked whether more resignations should be expected, Abdullahi said the possibility could not be ruled out, particularly as political actors reassess their positions ahead of 2027.

“So long as people have high expectations, so long as people don’t have that political ideology, believe me, even if it is tomorrow, election day, you’ll find people decamping,” he said.

He said political calculations often intensify as elections approach, with individuals assessing where they believe their interests could best be served.

“It is natural for any political scenario, especially during politicking, you find people calculating. Others will calculate well, others will miscalculate,” he said.

The latest developments are also putting the unity of the Katsina APC under scrutiny.

Just days before the resignations attracted wider attention, Vice President Kashim Shettima visited Katsina and expressed support for Governor Radda, urging members of the APC to remain united.

The visit also coincided with the reception of several politicians from opposition parties into the APC, including former Katsina State Secretary to the Government, Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, who returned to the ruling party and called on members to close ranks ahead of 2027.

The simultaneous arrival of new members and departure of government appointees has added another layer to the political calculations within the party.

For Abdullahi, however, the reported differences between political camps do not necessarily have to result in a permanent split.

He urged the competing camps to engage in dialogue and resolve their grievances.

“They should sheathe their swords, come together to a round table, discuss grievances, iron things out, understand where they are coming from, and where they are heading to,” he said.

The lecturer said the reported divisions could have implications for the APC’s electoral calculations because “every vote counts”.

He cautioned that competing political structures within the same party could affect mobilisation and the expected votes of the ruling party if the disagreements deepen.

“Every vote counts. The single vote is so important to a politician that he cannot afford to miss it,” he said.

He added that divisions within the party could change the pattern of political mobilisation ahead of the election.

However, he said it was too early to determine the ultimate consequences of the current developments, particularly because much of the political activity is taking place behind the scenes.

“It is a matter of time, you never can tell,” he said.

The latest resignations have therefore raised two interconnected questions in Katsina: whether more officials will leave the Radda administration and whether the departures will eventually translate into a broader political realignment ahead of 2027.

Efforts to get a response from the government and the APC as a party failed as at the time of filing the report. The APC chairman, Dr Bishir Gambo Saulawa, couldn’t reply to a message sent to his contact, while the Secretary to the State Government, Abdullahi Garba Faskari, when contacted said it was just a routine thing during a political era. Though his aide, Ibrahim Gafai, said he should not be quoted.

For now, the reported movement of former appointees, the emergence of competing political camps and the administration’s rapid replacement of those who have left have made the coming weeks significant for the political calculations within the Katsina APC.

The central question remains whether the five resignations represent the end of the current disagreement or the beginning of a much wider political realignment in Katsina.