Ahmed Tijjani, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate for the Kaduna Central Senate seat at the National Assembly, says his target is to help address the problem of security challenges in the area.

“The first issue is to ensure that the prevailing security challenge bedevilling the area is tackled, it is a well known fact that the Boko Haram terrorists and bandits have moved from the North-East to the North-West and in the North-West their camp is in Kaduna,” he said in an interview on Sunday.

Mr Tijani disclosed that he was initially eyeing the state’s governorship position but was asked to contest the senatorial seat by the party leader, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

“I felt that I can do something about this security problem if am the state governor, I even started making moves to contest for the position on the NNPP platform, but for some reasons, our leader Dr Rabi’u Kwankwaso asked me to go for the senate rather,” he said.

Mr Tijjani said the second issue was to ensure mass employment of youths to tackle youths’ restiveness in the area.

However, he said even with the decision to go for the Senate seat, he remained focused on achieving his target.

“I want to use this as a test run for subsequent elections, so that the people will see whether I am capable of fitting in in 2027.

“If am given the opportunity to serve, I will embrace everyone in the state, including the Muslims and the Christians, inshort whatever you are or your tribe should not be my concern because you are my brother.

“That was what was lacking in the APC administration in the state,” he said.

Mr Tijjani said the NNPP was the party to beat in the 2023 general election.

“Basically, Kaduna and other northern states in the country have not benefited much from the present administration.

“Our party the NNPP will be voted in by the masses who are the victims of successive governments in 2023, so we are just waiting for February 2023 for the Nigerian masses to vote massively for us,” he said.

Mr Tijjani expressed optimism that he would win the Senate seat.

“The PDP came to kill us and the APC is burying us, so no matter how good you are, you can’t win an election on their platforms in 2023.

“The two parties have dealt with the Nigerian people badly, especially those in the North, it is out there for people to see, as a Muslim I don’t think that it is proper for me to start praise singing myself,” he said.

(NAN)