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• Promises new approach to security, development
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Shehu Usman Bawa, popularly known as ABG, has expressed confidence that the party would return to power in the state in 2027, promising a different approach to insecurity, infrastructure and governance.
Bawa spoke with journalists at the weekend in his campaign office while discussing his plans for the state and the party’s preparations for the 2027 governorship election.
He said the PDP was engaging stakeholders across the state to explain why, in his view, voters should demand a change of government.
“We were actually going out to enlighten the public on why they need to vote this government out,” Bawa said.
He said the ruling party had failed to prioritise projects according to the needs of communities.
According to him, public funds should be deployed to projects that directly address the priorities identified by residents.
“These are public funds. All these monies do not belong to anybody. If you have projects that are a priority for a particular constituency, we should do the needful,” he said
He said that if elected governor, his administration would adopt what he called a “bottom-to-top approach” to development, including consultations with communities before deciding which projects to execute.
“As a governor, you can decide to do 10 kilometres of road in a particular constituency while that is not what they need.
“It is possible the constituency doesn’t even have potable water; they don’t have medical centres; they don’t have so many things. But when you interface with them, you give them what they need,” he said.
On security, the PDP candidate said his administration would pursue a different strategy to the approaches adopted by successive governments, arguing that residents should be able to farm, travel and conduct their businesses without fear of kidnapping or attacks.
“We want a Kaduna that all of us here can go to our farms, and can go to the market without any fear.
“You can go and harvest what you planted without any fear of being kidnapped,” Bawa said.
He said the state needs a strategy that would go beyond responding to attacks after they occurred.
“You don’t have to wait for them to attack you to protect the people. You go for them. You follow them right where they are,” he said.
Asked whether his administration would combine kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to tackling insecurity, he said his campaign was already consulting security experts.
“We’ll approach it differently and I’m assuring you that we have a solution to that.
“We already have consultants that are working for us on how to tackle this security issue,” he said.
Responding to claims from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that there was no strong opposition in Kaduna State, he dismissed the argument, saying, “If there’s no opposition, why are they worried?
“By February, by God’s grace, everybody will find out if they have an opposition or not.”
He also alleged that opposition parties had faced difficulties in displaying campaign billboards in some parts of the state.
He claimed that some billboard operators asked prospective clients which political party they belonged to before accepting advertisements.
“We actually paid to put up our billboards,” he said. “We called some of the numbers, and the billboard people would ask you, ‘Which party are you?’ If you are not in the APC, they won’t put up your billboard.”
He, however, maintained that the PDP’s campaign would focus on reaching voters rather than relying solely on rallies and campaign billboards.
“It is not by rallying or by putting up billboards that will give you victory,” Bawa said.
He also spoke about the PDP’s performance in the 2023 elections and the subsequent movement of some elected politicians away from the party, stressing that the party’s grassroots structure remained intact despite the political changes.
“The structure they used is a PDP structure. That structure still remains the way it is,” he said.
According to Bawa, many of the supporters who backed PDP candidates in the previous election still remain with the party.
“The same people that voted for them, those supporters that have actually been following them day and night, are still in the PDP,” he said.
He said the party was relying on that structure as it prepares for 2027.
“We have our party. The structure is still intact, and that is the same structure we’re using for 2027. We believe in 2027, we’ll get more votes.” he said.
He also expressed confidence that voters in Kaduna were seeking a change in government, while urging supporters to remain focused ahead of the election.
He said the PDP, if elected, would take responsibility for promises contained in its manifesto.
“All parties should have a manifesto, and if you go by your manifesto, you shouldn’t shift the goalposts.
“I believe what the PDP is bringing on board from the State Assembly to the House of Representatives, Senate and the governorship is that we are taking full responsibility for all our promises,” he said.
He added that his campaign would continue engaging communities across Kaduna State as the party prepares for the 2027 election.
