By; USMAN NASIDI, Kaduna
Barely a week after same group excitedly hosted Governor Nasir el-Rufai and the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Uba Sani, the Kaduna State Traders Association, with thousands of members across the state’s three senatorial districts, have endorsed Hon. Isa Ashiru Kudan, the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Kaduna State, for the March 11, governorship elections.
The adoption is a new twist, with Ashiru as its candidate, a decision that was announced during a stakeholders meeting with hundreds of traders in Kaduna.
The state chairman of the association, Alhaji Adamu Usman, said the endorsement became necessary given the harsh economic situation that the administration of Governor el-Rufai has thrown traders into.
According to Adamu, their stalls were demolished without compensation from the state government.
“Even owners of stalls in Sheikh Ahmed Gumi Central Market had their stalls revoked. Owners were asked to reapply on the new rate set up by the government and must pay 10 per cent of the total rent before taking possession.
“The present state government demolished most of our markets and in the process, threw thousands of traders into poverty. Where you are asked to apply for a new stall, the amount put on the stall is so high that most couldn’t afford.
“So we decided to endorse Ashiru because the previous PDP administration in Kaduna State has always been sympathetic to traders. They even gave us soft loans in the past and created a good environment for our members to flourish in their different businesses,” he said.
Speaking after the endorsement, Ashiru, expressed gratitude for the support, while adding that he won’t disappoint them if elected.
He added that empowerment, entrepreneurship, and having the right environment for business people in Kaduna to flourish would be one of the tasks of their administration if elected.
“Creating the right environment for our traders is itself a way of developing Kaduna State and that is why we will not take this endorsement for granted,” he said.
After presenting him to those gathered at the meeting, the traders vowed to continue mobilizing the general public to vote for Ashiru and all other candidates of the PDP.
