2027: PDP’ll reclaim Kaduna, Bawa declares

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Shehu Usman Bawa, popularly known as ABG, has expressed confidence that the party will return to power in the state in the 2027 governorship election.

Bawa also promised to adopt a different approach to tackling insecurity, infrastructure deficit and other development challenges confronting the state if elected governor.

The PDP candidate spoke at the weekend, while interacting with journalists at his campaign office in Kaduna, where he outlined his plans for the state and discussed the party’s preparations for the 2027 election.

He said the PDP was engaging stakeholders and communities across the state to explain its position and seek support for 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 criticised what he described as the failure of the present administration to sufficiently prioritise development projects according to the needs of individual communities.

Bawa said public resources should be channelled towards projects that directly addressed 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 his administration, if elected, would adopt a “bottom-to-top approach” to development by consulting communities before determining the projects to be executed.

According to him, government should not embark on projects without first determining whether they reflect the immediate needs of the people.

“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 insecurity, Bawa said his administration would pursue a different strategy, with the objective of creating an environment where residents could 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, can go to the market without any fear.

“You can go and harvest what you farm without any fear of being kidnapped,” he said.

The PDP candidate said the state needed a security strategy that would go beyond responding to attacks after they had occurred.

“You don’t have to wait for them to attack for you to protect them. You go for them. You follow them right where they are,” he said.

Asked whether his administration would combine kinetic and non-kinetic measures in addressing insecurity, Bawa said his campaign had already engaged security experts to develop strategies.

“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.

Reacting to claims by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that there was no strong opposition in Kaduna State, Bawa said the argument would be tested during the election.

“If there’s no opposition, why are they worried?” he asked.

He added, “By February, by God’s grace, everybody will find out if they have an opposition or not.”

Bawa also alleged that opposition parties had encountered difficulties in securing spaces for campaign billboards in some parts of the state.

He claimed that some billboard operators asked prospective clients about their political affiliation before accepting advertisements.

“We actually paid to put our billboards. We called some of the numbers, and the billboard people would ask you, ‘Which party are you?’ If you are not in APC, they won’t put your billboard,” he alleged.

He, however, said the PDP would not rely solely on rallies and billboards in its campaign, stressing that direct engagement with voters remained central to its strategy.

“It is not by rally or by putting billboards that will give you victory,” Bawa said.

On the PDP’s performance in the 2023 elections and the subsequent movement of some elected politicians away from the party, the governorship candidate maintained that the party’s grassroots structure remained intact.

“The structure they used is a PDP structure. That structure still remains the way it is,” he said.

According to him, many of the supporters who backed PDP candidates in the 2023 elections remained with the party despite subsequent political developments.

“The same people that voted for them, those supporters that have actually been following day and night, they are still there in PDP,” he said.

Bawa said the party would rely on its existing structure as it mobilises for the 2027 election.

“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 further said the PDP was presenting its manifesto as a basis for accountability if elected, adding that candidates at different levels of the party would be expected to take responsibility for their campaign promises.

“All parties should have a manifesto, and if you go by your manifesto, you shouldn’t shift the goalposts.

“I believe what PDP is bringing on board, from the State Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and the governorship is that we are taking full responsibility for all our promises,” Bawa said.

He said the campaign would continue with engagements across Kaduna State as the PDP mobilises supporters ahead of the 2027 governorship election.