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Why Gov Zulum Will Always Win -Bwala
Spokesman of the Campaign Council for APC in Borno State and former Commissioner for Home Affairs Information and Culture, Inuwa spoke to some journalists after the inauguration of the campaign council last Sunday. Our correspondent captured the moment:
Your Governor has just inaugurated the campaign council for his re-election bid in 2023, with you as co- chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee. But we expected you to be at the center with your former boss, Kashim Shettima. What really is happening?
I am involved with Senator Kashim Shettima in his quest for the Vice Presidency, as you perhaps know. I am a key stakeholder in Borno and you cannot separate Kashim Shettima’s politics from that of Governor Babagana Umara Zulum. Essentially, I am in the Borno Campaign Council with the full consent of Senator Kashim Shettima, and that does not stop me contributing to events at the center. And I do not see anything wrong in combining the two, after all we are of the same party, with a common set of goals; a common approach for the same actors. If the Governor feels I am important to the project at home and invites me to come down, I feel I owe him and my state the obligation to come down and team up with my colleagues here. So there is nothing wrong, rather, there is something right.
Now that you are here, what will be the highpoints of your campaigns, in the face if an emergent strong opposition?
Although “strong” is a relative term in this context, depending upon your own perception, we are not under rating anybody who may be seeking to upstage the system. We accord every party, as a matter of right their places in the political space. We also respect anybody who seeks to participate in the elections, but you know, just like everybody does, that, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum’s position remains unshaken.
Be that as it may, our campaigns are going to be anchored on the Governor’s achievements in the last three and a half years; on issues that define the moment and on what we believe to be the collective goodwill if the people of Borno state.
It is not controvertible to say, Professor Zulum has given very good account of himself as a leader. He has demonstrated capacity to rescue the state from years of challenges, he has developed our infrastructures and he has proved even beyond our borders that he has the best intention to re-write the history of Borno, different from the narrative that portrays us, as a axis of death, poverty and ignorance. Very soon, in conjunction with his media handlers, we will roll out some of the things he has done over the years and allow the people to judge.
We do not intend to engage in frivolities or diversionary debates that may tend to take away the glow on Zulum’s performance as a Governor: unless otherwise provoked, rather, we will seek for constructive engagements, as we strive towards returning the man, who the world knows as a performer, back to office. Mind you, we are not coming to market a saint, but to sell a man, who has demonstrably become the hope of a better tomorrow for our people. I personally feel that, if there is any Governor who deserves a seamless return to office, that should be Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.
You sound rather too confident of Professir Zulum’s victory, yet the reality on ground suggests that, the PDP in particular is poised to give you a rin for your money?
It seems your concept of reality is different from what others could see. Much as we are not going to underate any political party, you cannot honestly say that there is any grounded enough to give the APC any serious challenge. They may make their points, by rising slightly above the performances of the opposition in the past, but that will not be enough to give any one of them victory over us. We plan to start going out very soon and engage the people one on one. The flashes you see, by the hoisting of flags and billboards in certain locations do not translate to the actual votes. As you can see, the camoaign council which has just been inaugurated has on board every politician of note, on in Birno, and we do not intend to retire to our houses, but to reach out to every prospective voter, with our message of renewed hope for Borno state. We have mapped out a strategy that will deliver us to victory. We are not be fooled by the power of incumbency, nor deceived by the kobo you think we have, we are relying more on physical engagements with the electorates. I assure you that, we have every cause to remain confident that Professor Babagana Umara Zulum is coming back as the Governor of Borno State in 2023. This outing us a pedestal for greater attainments in the future.
But recent events in the state have tended to erode the credibility of your Governor, with the office attack on the office of the NNPP by hoodlums suspected to have been sponsored by the state Government and when the convoy of the Presidential candidate of the PDP was attacked in the same manner. Untill recently, when the Governor apologized, there has not been any official reaction to these developments. How do you juxtapose this against your claims that you will create a level playing ground for all parties?
This is one of the diversionary strategies being employed to take away the campaigns and public discourse generally from issues. But let me just say that, as you perhaps know, Borno has been a monolithic political entity since 1999, and for any political party to now start crying foul over alleged intolerance calls for closer scrutiny. The two scenarios were like trying to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. Some how, one could say they were intended to deliberately create a narrative about the Governor, having seen that it was not possible putting a blemish on his clean records. Yes we seemed to have allowed mischief take the day, but the true stories shall eventually be told. To deny that there were no incidents, is to play the ostrich, but in the first place, you can only react to issues about which you have adequate knowledge.
Those who know Governor Babagana Umara Zulum can attest to the fact that, he will be the last person to sanction violence or political brigandage. As you may be aware, the disbandment of the notorious ECOMOG group by Governor Zulum was one step towards discouraging political thuggery. He has never hidden his disdain for any form of violence, to effect that he issued an executive order against such acts.
It was therefore most uncharitable to attribute the said events to him or his Government. The fact that he went out of the way to apologize over the incidents was the hallmark of tolerance in leadership. That apology was not an admittance that he was involved in any way , but the fact that, he is the chief security officer and as leader, he takes responsibility for any form of breach of the peace in his domain. It was intended to appease frayed nerves and give assurance that his Government is a responsive one.
In any case, a narrative might have already been created, but the police is already investigating the incident involving Atiku’s convoy and I don’t want to prempt their findings, more so that, I was not physically around.But the true stories, which were never told will be known in the fullness of time.
I know as a matter of fact, that, despite outlawing political miscreants: they tend to still find a way of circumventing and making themselves part of such political outings, like the visit of the PDP Presidential candidate.
Very often they trail convoys from behind and in the process often throw objects at onlookers and passers by. That, I understand was the situation, even as some APC youths, who were also holding their party flags, started shouting at those shouting from the convoy. They started throwing objects at each other, resulting into a general panic, by others who were not involved. Some violent hoodlums cashed in on the situation and started unleashing violence on everybody around the area.
There is another issue which seems to be working against you people for the elections: a controversial N2 Billion, being given to the State every month in addition to its statutory allocation, which was attributed to President Buhari. There has never been clarifications on this either. Can you clarify?
It is not my duty to offer clarifications on any Government receipt or policy. But that is one mischief from the bottom of hell fire. Common sense dictates that it was a mere political gimmick. I have personally interacted with Mallam Garba Shehu, the Presidential spokesman, and he denied that there was never any such encounter during the Presidents visit, when he was alleged to have made that remark. There is no better authority than the Presidents mouth piece to clarify the issue. I have equally sought clarifications from people who were at the Shehus palace, where the matter was said to have been discussed and all of them denied having heard any such remark.
Because the Governor has not said anything so far lends credence to what I said earlier, that one can only clarify about issues where they exist. Nothing like that transpired and nobody is obliged to respond to mischief. Let anybody engage us on the issues of performance, or competence, credibility, capacity or acceptability. Anything that will tend to drag us into murky political debates are not worth it.
Some people are bound to say that, the campaign council as constituted was a mere parade of names, as most of those listed were not around for the inauguration. The party chairman particularly took exception to the absence of individuals. What do you have to show as a mark of participation by those who were not there?
Politics us a game of numbers, and can you say in all honesty that there were names of people on the council that were not there? You were there and you must have seen the assemblage. Some of us who were on the list could not even get a space to stand in the Multi Purpose Hall. We were innaugrated standing outside. And I was one of the last people to depart, and there was nobody I expected to see that I did not see. The Chairmans remarks about attendance by a particular individual was not to say the event was not fully attended. I am sure he was talking about that particular individual, whom I know as a matter of fact got the notice of the inauguration very late and missed booking on the flight. I had course to inquire, and I know it was not intentional rather, he did not get to know about it on time for him to book a flight. There was the issue of communication gap and we are not blaming anybody. It could happen to anyone. One thing I can say with authority is that, we are united in this quest and everybody has accepted to be part of it. One could not have been on the list without having been adequately consulted, so every name there has been part of the formation itself. There has never been a more formidable team than what we have. We have on board people who were hitherto reluctant or generally passive, but who have agreed to work for the victory of the Governor.
By Reuben Angula
In the arid but fertile expanse of Jigawa State, a profound sense of gratitude and renewed hope now permeates communities from Dutse to Hadejia, and from Kazaure to Gumel. The people of this progressive North-West state warmly welcome President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Hero of Democracy and the Father of Modern Nigeria, whose bold reforms have unlocked resources and infrastructure that are transforming lives across the country.
When President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, Nigeria stood at a fiscal crossroads. Decades of unsustainable fuel subsidies and multiple, distorted foreign exchange windows had drained the treasury, starved subnational governments of resources and rewarded rent seekers at the expense of ordinary citizens.
In two courageous policy decisions, he removed the fuel subsidy and unified the foreign exchange market. These decisions were painful in the short term, yet historically necessary. The result has been a dramatic increase in Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements to states, including Jigawa. Governor Umar Namadi has repeatedly affirmed that these reforms provided the fiscal space needed to pursue comprehensive development on a scale that was previously impossible.
Federal projects now advancing in and around Jigawa stand as concrete proof of the Renewed Hope Agenda. The Greater Dutse Water Supply Project, valued at approximately ₦59.4–₦59.5 billion, was flagged off in December 2024 after more than two decades of abandonment. Designed to address a chronic daily water deficit, the scheme features 35 industrial boreholes with solar-powered pumps, a 1,000 m³/hr treatment plant, extensive transmission mains and storage tanks. Upon completion within 24 months, it is expected to deliver millions of litres of potable water daily to more than 1.5 million residents of Dutse and its environs, fulfilling a campaign promise President Tinubu made to the late Emir of Dutse.
Equally transformative is the Kaduna–Kano–Jigawa–Katsina–Maradi standard-gauge railway project. By mid-2026, the project had reached approximately 60 per cent completion, with intensive work progressing on the Kano–Dutse branch line, bridges, track laying and earthworks. Fully funded under the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Scheme, the rail corridor will open new arteries of commerce, reduce road congestion and strengthen Nigeria’s economic ties with the Republic of Niger. Complementary federal road projects, including sections of the Kano–Maiduguri corridor and the Kwanar Dangata–Gumel–Hadejia route, are also progressing. Institutions such as the Federal College of Agriculture in Kazaure and the Police Training College in Gwaram continue to receive attention. Agricultural interventions for wheat farmers and access to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) further demonstrate the federal government’s presence in the state.
At the state level, Governor Umar Namadi’s administration has leveraged the increased revenue with remarkable discipline and ambition. Road infrastructure has been one of the most visible dividends. Inherited projects covering hundreds of kilometres have been completed, while dozens of new contracts for rural feeder roads and township roads, totalling well over 900–1,000 kilometres, have been awarded, with cumulative investments running into hundreds of billions of naira. Recent approvals alone include multi-billion-naira packages for township roads in Kafin Hausa, Gwaram, Ringim, Garki and Dutse Phase II.
In the health sector, specialist hospitals in Kazaure and Hadejia are advancing, an orthopaedic facility is being developed in Gumel, and primary healthcare centres across political wards are being upgraded or rehabilitated. Free healthcare services for vulnerable groups, children under five and pregnant women have also been expanded. Thousands of health workers have been recruited.
The education sector has witnessed massive teacher recruitment, including thousands of permanent and J-Teach staff, alongside classroom and Tsangaya school renovations, bursaries, Technical and Vocational Education and Training programmes, and solar-powered ICT centres. A proposed $110 million partnership with the Islamic Development Bank is also expected to support school infrastructure and teacher development.
Agriculture, the backbone of Jigawa’s economy, is undergoing significant modernisation, with hundreds of tractors and combine harvesters deployed, fertiliser subsidies aligned with federal allocations, greenhouses established for youth agribusiness, and investments in irrigation schemes and agro-processing zones. Major private-sector investments, such as the Dangote Rice Mill, further strengthen the state’s agricultural potential. Renewable energy projects, including multi-billion-naira solar mini-grids for government institutions and water facilities, alongside skills acquisition centres and flood control works, complete a comprehensive development portfolio. State Executive Council approvals of ₦91 billion, alongside other multi-billion-naira packages across these sectors, underscore the scale of development activity made possible by the increased fiscal capacity.
These achievements are not abstract. They are roads that carry farm produce to markets, water that ends decades of scarcity, classrooms that keep children in school, hospitals that save lives and solar power that reduces operating costs. They are tangible outcomes of a President who dared to end a subsidy regime that never truly benefited the common man and correct exchange rate distortions that discouraged genuine investors. Governor Namadi has been unequivocal in his position: the reforms rescued Nigeria from a deeper crisis and equipped Jigawa with the resources to deliver more effectively for its people.
As January 2027 approaches, the people of Jigawa have taken stock. They have seen the water project flagged off, the railway advancing, roads extending across communities, hospitals and schools improving, and the agricultural base strengthening. They recognise that the short-term adjustments introduced in 2023 have given way to sustained capital investment and greater fiscal capacity.
In gratitude for the leadership of the Hero of Democracy and the Father of Modern Nigeria, the people of Jigawa are ready to reciprocate by standing firmly behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all All Progressives Congress candidates in January 2027, ensuring that the momentum of the Renewed Hope Agenda continues to build a greater Jigawa and a more prosperous Nigeria.
Angula is a member of the Tinubu/Shettima campaign council
- Insists Imo Judicial Service Commission is constitutionally independent; invokes Section 202, says NJC lacks powers to nominate a candidate for Imo State JSC for appointment as Chief Judge
The Imo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Hon. Paul Obinatu has challenged the constitutional authority of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to direct the Imo State Judicial Service Commission (JSC) on the candidate whose name it should submit for consideration in the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge of the state, describing such an intervention as an encroachment on the constitutionally guaranteed independence of the State Commission.
In a statement issued on November 6, 2026, the Attorney-General maintained that the NJC lacks the constitutional authority to dictate, control or substitute its preferred candidate for the independent assessment and recommendation process entrusted to the Imo State JSC under the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The objection follows a directive reportedly issued by the NJC to the Imo State JSC at its 112th meeting held on November 3, 2026, concerning the appointment of a substantive Chief Judge for the state.
The Attorney-General argued that the NJC’s constitutional responsibility to recommend a candidate to the Governor does not confer on it the additional power to determine or dictate the candidate the State Judicial Service Commission must submit to it. He maintained that the directive is constitutionally untenable because it interferes with a responsibility expressly vested in the State Judicial Service Commission.
SECTION 202 GUARANTEES IMO JSC’S INDEPENDENCE
Central to the Attorney-General’s objection is Section 202 of the Constitution, which expressly provides that the State Judicial Service Commission shall not be subject to the direction or control of any other authority or person in exercising its constitutionally assigned powers.
He argued that this provision establishes a clear constitutional safeguard against external interference in the Commission’s responsibilities and cannot be overridden by the NJC through administrative directives or procedural guidelines.
According to him, the NJC cannot invoke its national institutional status or its recommendation powers to exercise control over the Imo State JSC in a manner inconsistent with the Constitution.
Consequently, any directive requiring the State JSC to submit a particular candidate or dictating the outcome of its independent assessment would, in the Attorney-General’s interpretation, amount to unconstitutional interference.
CONSTITUTION ASSIGNS DISTINCT RESPONSIBILITIES TO NJC AND STATE JSC
The Attorney-General anchored his position on Section 271(1) and the relevant provisions of the Third Schedule to the Constitution.
Paragraph 6(a) of Part II of the Third Schedule empowers the State Judicial Service Commission to advise the NJC on suitable persons for nomination as Chief Judge of the state.
Conversely, Paragraph 21(c) of Part I of the Third Schedule empowers the NJC to recommend to the Governor, from among the list of persons submitted by the State JSC, a candidate for appointment as Chief Judge.
Section 271(1) further provides that the appointment shall be made by the Governor on the recommendation of the NJC, subject to confirmation by the State House of Assembly.
According to the Attorney-General, these provisions establish a clear constitutional sequence: the State JSC identifies and advises on suitable candidates, the NJC considers the submitted names and makes its recommendation to the Governor, while the Governor exercises the appointing authority subject to legislative confirmation.
He insisted that the NJC’s recommendation powers cannot be interpreted as authority to dictate which candidate the State JSC must select or submit, as doing so would effectively transfer the Commission’s constitutional responsibility to the NJC and render Section 202 meaningless.
NJC GUIDELINES CANNOT OVERRIDE THE CONSTITUTION
Addressing the NJC’s Guidelines and Procedural Rules for the Appointment of Judicial Officers, the Attorney-General acknowledged the Council’s authority to prescribe and enforce procedural requirements for judicial appointments.
However, he maintained that such guidelines cannot confer powers beyond those granted by the Constitution or be used to compromise the independent functions of the State JSC.
He stressed that the NJC’s responsibility to ensure compliance with appointment procedures must not be extended to usurping the constitutional authority of the Imo State Judicial Service Commission.
COURT DECISIONS REINFORCE ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S POSITION
In support of his argument, the Attorney-General cited several judicial authorities which he said affirm the importance of constitutional boundaries and institutional independence.
They include Elelu-Habeeb & Anor. v. Attorney-General of the Federation & Ors. (2012) LPELR-15515(SC), Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission & Anor. v. Salisu & Ors. (2019) LPELR-47107(CA), and Bamisile v. National Judicial Council & Ors. (2012) LPELR-8381(CA).
Other authorities referenced are FRN v. Nganjiwa (2022) LPELR-58066(SC), NJC & Ors. v. Senlong & Ors. (2010) LPELR-4582(CA), and Attorney-General of the Federation v. Attorney-General of Abia State & Ors. (2024) LPELR-62576(SC).
The Attorney-General maintained that these authorities reinforce the principle that every constitutional institution must exercise its powers strictly within the limits prescribed by law, irrespective of its institutional standing.
IMO CHIEF JUDGE APPOINTMENT MUST FOLLOW CONSTITUTIONAL PROCEDURE
The Attorney-General warned that allowing the NJC to assume functions constitutionally assigned to the State JSC would undermine the integrity of the judicial appointment process and compromise the independence of the Commission.
He maintained that the issue is not a contest for institutional superiority between the NJC and the State JSC, but the need for each institution to respect the constitutional boundaries of its authority.
He further emphasised that the NJC’s responsibility to recommend a candidate to the Governor must not be confused with the power to control the independent selection and submission process of the State Commission.
The Attorney-General insisted that the ongoing appointment process must be conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution, without interference that could undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
For the Imo State Attorney-General, the constitutional position is clear: while the NJC has the responsibility to recommend a candidate to the Governor, it has no authority to dictate to the Imo State Judicial Service Commission the candidate whose name it must submit in the exercise of its independent constitutional mandate.
Benue Equity and Justice Movement has accused the Benue People’s Democratic Party Governorship candidate, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa of plan to manipulate the Judiciary in order to buy the planned November 16 judgement in the eligibility suit against him.
It will be recalled that the Supreme Court had few years ago banned Mr. Aondoakaa from holding public offices for life as a result of his manipulation of justice while he was Attorney General of the Federation under the PDP regime of former President Umaru Yar’Adua.
Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, then a Justice of the Supreme Court and now the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), delivered the Supreme Court’s unanimous judgment on December 10, 2021, affirming the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Calabar Division, which had upheld a Federal High Court decision barring the former minister, who served under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, from occupying any public office in Nigeria for life.
In the Court of Appeal’s judgement on June 1, 2010, Justice A.F.A. Ademola ordered, “1. A declaration is hereby made that the 2nd Defendant undermined and subverted the rule of law, the due administration of justice and integrity of the judiciary in the letters of 8th January, 2008 and 16th February 2009 written by him in the capacity of the Defendant. “2. A declaration is hereby made that 2nd Defendant is not a competent, fit and proper person to hold office as the 1st Defendant having regards to the oaths of Allegiance and office.
Also recalled that the 2027 governorship candidate of the Allied People’s Movement, Mr. Damian Adagba had in September asked the court to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to remove Aondoakaa’s name from its official portal as the governorship candidate of the PDP as a result of the Supreme Court Judgement.
Also, in a suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2152/2026 which was instituted by David Ejembi, Aondoaver Teryila, Joseph Okpanachi and Benedict Akaazua Orkume against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PDP and Aondoakaa, the plaintiffs urged the Federal High Court in Abuja on October to stop the former AGF from parading himself as the governorship candidate of the PDP.
Following the arguments by the lawyers of the People’s Democratic Party, Mr. Aondoakaa and the plaintiffs, the court adjourned the matter to November 16, 2026, for judgment.
But in a press statement which was sent to reporters this morning, Benue Equity and Justice Movement through its General Secretary, Mr. Kingsley Asema said that the pressure group has received Intel which revealed plans by the embattled PDP governorship candidate to bribe the Judge handling the case.
“We have it on a good authority that Barrister Michael Aondoakaa, having realized that the eligibility suit against him in court would not go in his favour based on various evidences that he had been barred from holding any public office, has been holding series of meetings with his political godfather, Mr. Samuel Ortom and legal team led by a former Secretary to the Benue State Government, Mr. Tony Ijohor on the possible way to bribe the Judge handling the case.
“The final meeting on how to manipulate the planned November 16 judgement was held in Jos last Friday, and in attendance were Chief Aondoakaa, Barrister Tony Ijohor, Barrister Clement Mue, Anthony Malik, and Barrister Matthew Onoja.
“We also have proofs that it was the legal team led by Ijohor that advised Aondoakaa to reach out to the judge through an unnamed Senior Advocate of Nigeria from Jos when it was clear that he may be declared ineligible to contest the 2027 governorship election”
Meanwhile, Benue Equity and Justice Movement in the press statement called on the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja as well as the Chief Judge of Nigeria to rescue the Judiciary which is the last succour for a common man from the former AGF who is moving fastly to buy the eligibility judgement which has been fixed for November 16, 2026.
The group stated further that Aondoakaa’s case is a litmus test for the Nigerian Judiciary, noting that selling judgement to him will prove that the Judiciary is no longer a succour for a common man.
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