APC CAMPAIGN: HIRED CROWD LEFT HUNGRY AND UNPAID IN KADUNA

Supporters allegedly recruited from Kano State to participate in the All Progressives Congress campaign rally and President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign activities in Kaduna State have been left stranded, complaining of hunger and unpaid stipends for work they said they had been hired to perform.

The incident was captured in a video obtained by SaharaReporters, showing the supporters gathered around a commercial bus, appealing to the campaign organisers to pay them, ValidViewNetwork reports.

THE COMPLAINTS

Speaking in Hausa, some of the aggrieved supporters said they had travelled from Kano to Kaduna for the campaign activities but were yet to receive payment for their work.

One supporter lamented that they had come to work without receiving any compensation.

“We came here to just work for nothing without pay,” he said .

Another supporter said they had been stranded while waiting for the organisers to show up and settle their outstanding payments, adding that they had not eaten.

“We are here stranded, waiting for the organisers to come and pay us for our job. We have not eaten. This is our bus and the number on it. This is one of the buses,” he said, pointing to the vehicle in the video.

The videos showed the frustrated supporters gathered around the bus, with some sitting inside while others stood outside, apparently waiting for the campaign organisers to address their complaints.

THE CONTEXT

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The incident occurred after the APC’s North-West zonal rally in Kaduna, where President Tinubu formally kicked off his 2027 re-election campaign.

The rally was attended by Governor Uba Sani, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, and other party leaders. But for the supporters hired from Kano, the event ended not with a sense of participation, but with hunger and frustration.

WHY IT MATTERS

The stranded supporters are a reminder of the transactional nature of Nigerian politics.

People are hired to attend rallies, to cheer, to hold placards, and to create the impression of mass support. They are paid a stipend for their time and transportation.

When the payment does not come, they are left stranded, often in a city where they know no one.

For the APC, the incident is an embarrassment. The party has projected an image of unity and strength. But the reality, as shown in the video, is that some of the people who helped create that image are now hungry and unpaid.

The campaign has begun. And for some of its foot soldiers, the experience has already left a bitter taste. ValidViewNetwork reports.