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Says budget will reflect people’s needs; pledges fairness, accountability and grassroots-driven governance
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The Kaduna State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Usman Shehu Bawa, popularly known as Shehu ABG, has promised equitable distribution of resources across the state’s three senatorial zones if elected governor.
He also pledged that budget preparation and implementation under his administration would be driven by the actual needs and priorities of the people rather than decisions imposed by the government.
Shehu ABG made the pledge during a town hall meeting with PDP stakeholders from Zone One in Zaria over the weekend.
According to a statement issued on Sunday, October 11, 2026, by his spokesperson, Yusuf Idris, the meeting attracted religious leaders, student groups, women and youth organisations, Community Development Associations, party officials from the state and local government levels, as well as PDP candidates contesting various elective positions.
The governorship candidate, who attended the meeting alongside his running mate, Amos Adamu Gandu, said his administration would prioritise people-centred policies and adopt a bottom-up approach to governance.
He explained that the approach would ensure that citizens play a decisive role in determining government priorities and development projects in their communities.
Under the proposed arrangement, Shehu ABG said, the people would determine what they needed rather than have government officials decide for them.
He said his administration would be committed to fairness, accountability and respect for the rule of law, while soliciting the support of residents across the state.
The PDP candidate emphasised that governance should be built around the needs of the people, stressing that citizens must have a say in how public resources are allocated and spent.
He said his administration would pursue policies that respond to the concerns of communities across Kaduna State, with the aim of ensuring that development reaches all three senatorial zones equitably.
The candidate’s position, as outlined in the statement, places grassroots participation at the centre of his proposed governance model, particularly in budget formulation, project selection and implementation.
He also assured residents that his administration would uphold the principles of fairness and accountability in the management of public resources.
In his remarks, the PDP Zonal Chairman, Alhaji Danbaba SayaSaya, urged candidates of the party to intensify their engagement with voters by taking their manifestos to communities across the state.
SayaSaya encouraged the candidates to communicate their programmes and policy proposals to the electorate, expressing optimism about the party’s prospects.
He said there was already “a light shining at the end of the tunnel for the PDP,” according to the statement.
The zonal chairman’s remarks underscored the importance of grassroots mobilisation and direct engagement with voters as the party seeks to strengthen its presence across Kaduna State.
The PDP State Chairman, Edward Percy Marsha, urged Kaduna residents to carefully assess the performance of political parties and their approaches to governance.
Marsha warned citizens against allowing themselves to be “deceived again,” arguing that residents had experienced differences between the PDP’s leadership style and those of other political parties.
He pointed to the provision of democratic dividends and the quality of governance as important considerations for voters.
According to him, the people of Kaduna State had seen and felt the difference between the PDP’s approach to leadership and that of other parties, particularly in the delivery of public services and democratic governance.
His remarks formed part of the party’s appeal to voters to consider its record and proposed programmes when evaluating political alternatives.
The statement said religious leaders, student representatives, Community Development Associations, women and youth groups who attended the town hall meeting expressed a common intention to support the PDP governorship candidate.
The groups also reportedly expressed satisfaction with the manifesto presented by Shehu ABG, although the statement did not provide details of the individual groups’ specific endorsements or the policies that informed their positions.
The meeting provided an opportunity for the candidate and other party leaders to engage stakeholders in Zone One on their proposed governance agenda and seek support for the party’s political programmes.
Shehu ABG’s pledges on equitable resource distribution, needs-based budgeting, accountability and grassroots participation are expected to feature prominently in the party’s engagement with voters as it presents its vision for Kaduna State.
