WHY KANO’S INFORMAL SECTOR WILL DECIDE 2027
By Shehu Mustapha Chaji
Whenever elections are discussed in Nigeria, analysts focus on governors, senators, and godfathers. They forget the real owners of Kano politics — the men and women in the markets, motor parks, workshops, and streets.
In Kano, elections are not decided in government houses. They are decided in Sabon Gari Market, Kwari Market, Singer Market, Dawanau Grains Market, Kofar Wambai, Yan Kaba, and in thousands of workshops across our 44 Local Government Areas.
That is the informal sector. And in 2027, the informal sector will decide who wins Kano.
Who Are They?
They are the traders who wake up before dawn to open their shops. They are the tailors in Fagge, the welders in Sharada, the mechanics in Kofar Ruwa, the tricycle riders in Tarauni, the farmers in Kura, the grain sellers in Dawanau, the textile sellers in Kwari, and the food vendors who feed this great city every day.
They account for over 60 per cent of Kano’s voting population. They do not sit in air-conditioned offices. They are the backbone of Kano’s economy. When they move, Kano moves.
For too long, politicians have only remembered them during election periods. They come with rice, wrappers, and empty promises, but after the elections, they disappear.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s Kano First Agenda are different. Both are designed to address the needs and aspirations of these people.
Tinubu and Abba Understand the Informal Sector
President Tinubu did not emerge as a leader through classroom experience alone. He understands markets, traders, and artisans because of his longstanding engagement with them.
Similarly, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, like many Kano political leaders, has maintained close relationships with people in the informal sector throughout his political career. His government has also been creating policies and opportunities aimed at improving their livelihoods.
The Tinubu administration has opened access to small-business loans, SMEDAN support, Bank of Industry interventions, and empowerment programmes targeting traders, artisans, and young entrepreneurs.
That is why the Kano State Presidential/Gubernatorial Campaign Council (PGCC) has created a special directorate for the informal sector — to ensure that no trader, artisan, or tricycle rider is left behind.
As Deputy Director III, Informal Sectors, I have been visiting markets and workshops, and I can tell you one thing: Kano’s informal sector is ready to support the APC, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, with a firm commitment to voting for them again to sustain the benefits of the Renewed Hope Agenda and Kano First Agenda.
Why They Will Vote APC
First, they want stability. A trader cannot conduct business in a market plagued by violence and confusion. The APC has provided Kano with relative peace and a structure for development.
Second, they want opportunities. A tailor wants electricity to operate a sewing machine. A welder needs power to work. A tricycle rider wants good roads. The Renewed Hope Agenda and Kano First Agenda are investing in infrastructure that directly benefits these groups.
Third, they want respect. The informal sector does not want pity; it wants recognition as a partner in development.
Under the guidance of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, the leader of Kano APC, and the leadership of Engr. Abdullahi Tijjani Muhammad Gwarzo, Director-General of the Kano PGCC, with the strong support of Engr. Dr. Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, Managing Director of the Hadejia-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority and Chairman of the Kano North Senatorial Campaign Committee, Kano APC is treating market leaders and artisans as stakeholders, not spectators.
The Opposition Has No Message
Go to the markets today. Ask the opposition what they are offering the informal sector. They have no plan. They have only insults, propaganda, and social media noise.
The APC is actively organising rallies, marches, and massive gatherings. The opposition, on the other hand, is confined to Facebook and WhatsApp groups, complaining.
You cannot win Kano from your bedroom.
Kano people are practical people. They will vote for the party that comes to them, listens to them, and works with them.
My Call
I call on all market unions, artisan associations, tricycle riders’ unions, farmers’ unions, tailors, welders, mechanics, and traders across Kano State to organise themselves, collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and stand with the APC from top to bottom.
2027 is not about one man. It is about your shop, your workshop, your tricycle, your future, and the future of your children.
Kano will deliver the highest number of votes to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf in 2027. And it will be the informal sector that delivers those votes.
Shehu Mustapha Chaji writes from Kano. He is the Deputy Director III, Informal Sectors, Kano State Presidential/Gubernatorial Campaign Council (PGCC) 2027.
Chaji writes from Kano.