Niger State Governor Umar Bago has declared that the state will serve as the headquarters for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s campaign team in the 2027 elections, with himself at the forefront of the effort.
Bago made the announcement while addressing supporters, saying his leadership of the campaign was a continuation of his commitment to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the president. He described Niger State as the “campaign hot quarters” for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The governor stressed his loyalty to the APC and criticised members who, despite benefiting from its government, have turned against the party. He said some former governors, ministers, advisers and commissioners had served under the party for eight years but had now chosen to work against it.
“There is an unwritten understanding in this country for power to devolve from the north to the south and from the south to the north. This has brought relative peace to this country in the last two years. We just finished a tenure of eight years under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, may Allah forgive his soul, and Asiwaju is just in his second year,” Bago said.
The governor rejected criticisms over infrastructure, saying that both Buhari and Tinubu inherited poor conditions, including roads, schools and hospitals, which they are working to improve. He added that the same applied in Niger State, where his administration is “building, rebranding and doing them” rather than causing the problems.
Bago described as “shameless” attempts to use such issues to campaign against the APC, arguing that loyalty and gratitude should be shown for what he called a smooth transition from one APC government to another.
He also linked the current economic challenges to actions by individuals in previous administrations, saying he knows “exactly” what he inherited but has chosen not to probe or demand refunds. “Let the sleeping dog lie,” he urged.
On security, Bago said Tinubu and his administration were not responsible for the situation the country met on assumption of office. He claimed significant improvements had been recorded in Niger State, citing previously unsafe areas such as parts of Muya Local Government Area, Boro, Chimbi and Ishew, where people now conduct their businesses freely.
He criticised those using the upcoming state assembly rerun, election and local government election as political tools against the APC, recalling that many of them helped form the party.
“We are Nigerians, and we love Nigeria. APC is what you are; some of you were party chairmen. We formed this APC together,” Bago said.
