By: Joshua Danwana
The attempt by some political jobbers to downplay the relevance of Prof. Muhammad Sani Bello popularly known as the Mainan Zazzau is not analysis; it is panic management wrapped in propaganda. As a three-time commissioner and foremost gubernatorial aspirant for 2027, his political strides are sending shivers down the spine of incumbents who are becoming increasingly irrelevant to the populace.
It is both laughable and insulting to the intelligence of Kaduna State people to pretend that a man who strategically piloted one of the most complex and consequential gubernatorial victories in the state’s history is suddenly “politically irrelevant” simply because he has chosen a different political path. Let us be very clear: structures do not think, do not plan, do not negotiate, and certainly do not win elections. People do. Leaders do. Strategists do. And in 2023, Prof. Sani Bello did.
Who Really Built the 2023 Victory?
It is a matter of public record that Prof. Muhammad Sani Bello was the Director-General of the 2023 Uba Sani Gubernatorial Campaign Council. He was chosen for this critical role because of his enormous grassroots support base, international connections, and unmatched voter appeal. Together with the total backing of then-Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Mainan Zazzau laid the foundation for Uba Sani’s emergence as Governor of Kaduna State despite fierce opposition that could have thwarted his chances.
That campaign did not run on autopilot. It did not win by accident. It won because Mainan Zazzau coordinated and delivered it from grass to grace. Anyone even remotely close to that process knows that without his strategic coordination, the All Progressives Congress (APC) would have entered that election fractured and vulnerable.
To now pretend that the DG of that campaign was a “non-factor” is either deliberate dishonesty or intellectual laziness by Data Boys who know nothing other than concocting fake news. Paying cyber-warriors to shamelessly peddle lies is a great disservice not just to society but to the future of the youth involved. How could we ever attain good governance when tomorrow’s leaders are trained to deceive themselves and their compatriots?
The Lie about “Grassroots”
The pathetic attempt to paint Prof. Muhammad Sani Bello as a man without grassroots influence is not just dishonest; it is an insult to the thousands of youths, families, and community members whose lives he has directly touched over the past three decades. Grassroots influence is not built by shouting slogans at ward meetings. It is built by years of presence, intervention, mentorship, and tangible backing. By that standard, Prof. Sani Bello’s record speaks louder than any propaganda.
Across Sabon Gari Local Government Area and beyond, his fingerprints are on youth empowerment, educational support, career mentorship, and concrete community development efforts. The Mainan Zazzau has consistently invested in people not for cameras, not for noise but to build human capacity and future leaders of Kaduna State. These facts are verifiable any day, any time.
On the Ridiculous Claim that His Exit from APC Changes Nothing
This is the most desperate part of the spin. Only politically naive people think earthquakes announce themselves before they happen. Political influence flows in waves, and its torrents take the polls by storm. History will not forget that Prof. Muhammad Sani Bello was instrumental in the formation of the APC and its assumption of power in Kaduna State and Nigeria since 2015.
He was certainly not a decorative appointee of the party. He was not a “paper DG” in the 2023 general election. He was the brain and the coordinator of a complex, multi-interest political machine. Trying to reduce him to “just another beneficiary of party trust” is cowardly revisionism and cheap, albeit typical, ingratitude.
Today, the APC in Kaduna State is already in panic mode, knowing full well that the same strategist who delivered their 2023 victory has now aligned himself with the opposition ADC. His appointment as a member of the constitution review committee of the ADC almost immediately after resigning as Commissioner and member of the Kaduna State Executive Council in July 2025 underscores his enduring political weight. Already, the ADC is gathering momentum and is poised to challenge the status quo at both state and national levels come 2027.
The Unchangeable Truth
Cyber-thugs and their paymasters in power can attempt to rewrite history. They can sponsor spurious press statements using public funds and platforms. They can continue to lie to themselves. But they cannot change the fact that Uba Sani’s electoral victory in 2023 has Prof. Muhammad Sani Bello’s fingerprints all over it.
And no amount of propaganda will ever erase that.
Joshua Danwana
Media aide to Mainan Zazzau
