2027: Go to polling units, Zulum charges Borno APC

…Governor inaugurates campaign council, urges grassroots mobilisation, party unity By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has charged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2027 Campaign Council to take their mobilisation efforts to wards and polling units across the state to secure increased voter turnout for the party.

Zulum, who is chairman of the campaign council, gave the charge on Sunday while inaugurating the council at the Multipurpose Hall of Government House, Maiduguri. He said the party must earn the renewed confidence of voters through service, persuasion and effective organisation, warning members against relying solely on previous electoral victories.

“Every member of this Campaign Council must take personal responsibility. Go to your local government area. Go to your ward. Go to your polling unit. Meet the people, listen to them and work with the party structures on the ground,” the governor said. He urged council members to actively involve women and young people in the campaign, engage party elders and submit regular reports on their mobilisation activities.

The governor also called for peaceful and lawful campaigns, urging members to educate supporters on the voting process. Addressing disagreements arising from the party’s primaries, Zulum appealed to members who did not secure tickets to remain committed to the party and work collectively towards its success. He also urged successful aspirants to reach out to those who were unsuccessful and address their grievances, warning that actions capable of undermining APC candidates or the party’s collective interests would attract consequences under its constitution.

“Our responsibility is to explain this record honestly to the electorate, listen carefully to their concerns and earn their renewed confidence,” he said. Zulum further stressed the need for Borno to deliver increased votes for the APC, noting that the state is the home state of Vice-President Kashim Shettima. He also cited President Bola Tinubu’s support for the establishment of the Federal College of Education in Gwoza, the Federal University of Agriculture and Entrepreneurship in Bama and the National Orthopaedic Hospital in Azare as projects the party intended to highlight during the campaign.

The governor expressed confidence in Engr. Mustapha Gubio succeeding him and continuing the work of his administration, urging voters to support APC candidates from the presidential to the state assembly levels. Earlier, the state APC Chairman, Hon. Bello Ayuba, said members of the campaign council were selected based on their experience, political capacity and commitment to the party.

He expressed confidence that they would mobilise substantial support for APC candidates in the 2027 general elections. In his goodwill message, the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Dr. Abdulkarim Lawan, urged stakeholders and campaign council members to intensify grassroots mobilisation from polling units and wards to local government areas and the state level.

Lawan said the 28 members of the House of Assembly were committed to mobilising support for the party and consolidating what he described as the dividends of democracy for sustainable development. He also urged party members to embrace peace and reconcile their differences to ensure a united campaign. Other speakers, including the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, representing Borno North; member representing Biu/Kwaya Kusar/Shani/Bayo Federal Constituency, Hon.

Muktari Betara; APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Ali Bukar Dalori; and Chairman of the Advisory Campaign Council and former governor of the state, Senator Maina Maaji Lawan, also emphasised party unity and collective interests. They urged party members to place the interest of the APC above personal considerations and mobilise voters across the state.

The campaign council is chaired by Governor Zulum, with his deputy, Dr. Umar Usman Kadafur, as vice-chairman, while the state APC chairman, Bello Ayuba, serves as secretary.