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From Jude Dangwam, Jos
Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has declared that there is no vacancy in Government House, Little Rayfield, Jos, urging All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters to unite behind his re-election bid and President Bola Tinubu’s second-term ambition in 2027.
Speaking while inaugurating the APC Campaign Council in Jos, yesterday, Mutfwang said his administration’s achievements justified a fresh mandate, arguing that another four years would enable it to complete ongoing projects and consolidate its interventions.
The governor said the party would run a unified campaign for Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, himself and Deputy Governor Josephine Piyo, as well as all APC National and State Assembly candidates.
“We’re running a unified campaign and not a Rainbow Coalition, and Plateau people have decided to go in one direction under the APC for the 2027 general elections,” he said.
Mutfwang also invoked what he described as an agreement for each senatorial zone to hold the governorship for two terms, warning that opposition to his re-election could affect the northern zone’s prospects of producing a governor in 2035.
“And that is why Plateau State, we have already agreed that it is two terms per senatorial zone. Except the northern zone does not want to produce a governor until 2035, then you can toy with my mandate.
“So, can we leave this venue today and tell everybody, whether it is Rainbow or K-Like or anything, tell them there is no vacancy in Little Rayfield,” he said.
The governor acknowledged hunger and persistent insecurity, but maintained that the government was taking deliberate steps to address both challenges, urging citizens to allow ongoing reforms time to yield results.
“They will say there is hunger in the land. We don’t deny it. They will say that the insecurity situation has not abated. We don’t deny it. But if they say we have not taken steps at all to address those issues, they know they are lying.
“Insecurity is not like tap water, where you simply turn on the tap and it flows down. It requires concerted, deliberate, intentional, sustained efforts before you get results,” he said.
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Highlighting interventions introduced to ease hardship, Mutfwang cited a 20 per cent reduction in students’ school fees, an increase in allowances by about 300 per cent and the revival of railway transportation within the Jos metropolis.
He also pointed to the Federal Government’s Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) as an avenue for supporting students in tertiary institutions.
Mutfwang charged candidates and campaign council members to take their message beyond Jos to communities, wards and local government areas, stressing that grassroots mobilisation would determine the outcome of the elections.
“I’d like to urge all our candidates for the various positions, you must lead from the front. You must be bridge-builders. You must be people that bring others together. You must humble yourself and make sure that we do not allow divisions to continue amongst us,” he said.
He urged party leaders to communicate the administration’s achievements honestly and effectively, arguing that inadequate public understanding of government policies had contributed to apprehension.
“We must therefore go about this campaign with facts, with honesty, with seriousness. Part of the reason why people are still apprehensive is because we have not communicated the real message, and we have a responsibility to ensure that that message is properly communicated.” Appealing for peaceful electioneering, the governor said Plateau should not be associated with political violence, while expressing confidence that the state would deliver victory for Tinubu and other APC candidates.
“I therefore want to urge us to go to every nook and cranny with confidence that we have a reason to ask for a new mandate,” he said.
State APC Chairman, Rufus Bature, warned that the party would not tolerate members participating in the Rainbow Coalition Movement, insisting that its structures would work for all APC candidates in 2027.
Director-General of the Mutfwang/Piyo 2027 Campaign Council, Joseph Ari, pledged to justify the confidence reposed in the council through an inclusive campaign aimed at securing victory for the party.
Ari said more than 100 support groups had already come forward in support of the Tinubu/Shettima and Mutfwang/Piyo tickets.
