Community Development Associations (CDAs) across Southern Kaduna have reaffirmed their commitment to a peaceful and successful 2026 Southern Kaduna Festival (SKFEST), while distancing themselves from the newly registered Southern Kaduna People’s United Association (SOKAPUA), accusing the group of fueling division within the region.
Chairman of the Southern Kaduna Community Development Associations Forum, Dr. Samuel Achie, stated this during a media briefing on preparations for the highly anticipated cultural festival expected to attract prominent personalities from across Nigeria and the international community.
The briefing, attended by more than 50 chairmen and secretaries of various Southern Kaduna CDAs, unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the organizers of the festival and dissociated the forum from criticisms allegedly directed at the event by the leadership of SOKAPUA.
Dr. Achie said the people of Southern Kaduna were determined to preserve unity and peaceful coexistence despite the lingering crisis that followed the 2023 leadership election of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU).
He explained that several respected groups and personalities, including the Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association led by Apostle Emmanuel Kure, elder statesman Prof. Benjamin Kumai Gugong, and the Southern Kaduna Traditional Council under the leadership of the Chief of Kagoro, His Highness Afuwai Bonat, had made efforts to reconcile the contending parties.
According to him, agreements reached during various peace meetings included the restoration of the original SOKAPU logo, deregistration of SOKAPUA, withdrawal of court cases, and reconciliation among aggrieved parties. He, however, alleged that the resolutions were repeatedly ignored by the leadership of SOKAPUA.
Speaking on the forthcoming SKFEST, Dr. Achie stressed that the festival remains an independent entity duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission and not an organ of either SOKAPU or SOKAPUA. He noted that the event is expected to host high-profile dignitaries, including Vice President Kashim Shettima and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The CDA Forum described recent criticisms against the festival as unnecessary and capable of undermining efforts aimed at promoting unity and development in Southern Kaduna.
The forum also passed a unanimous vote of confidence on the leadership of SKFEST led by Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai (Rtd) and the SOKAPU leadership under Bello Bissalla, citing their commitment to peace, unity, and progress in the region.
Dr. Achie further called on political office holders, traditional rulers, youth and women groups, clergy, and all stakeholders of Southern Kaduna extraction to rally round recognized structures and work collectively for the advancement of the region, Kaduna State, and Nigeria as a whole.
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