The Governorship candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State,  Shehu Usman Bawa, known as ABG, has vowed that the party will win the 2027 governorship election in the State and return to power in the  in the 2027 election.

Bawa, who spoke with journalists at his campaign office in Kaduna, also promised to adopt a different approach to security, infrastructure and governance if elected governor.

The former House of Representatives member said the PDP was engaging communities and stakeholders across the state as part of efforts to persuade voters to support the party in the forthcoming election.

He said the party was seeking a change of government because, in his assessment, the current administration had not adequately aligned government projects with the needs of communities.
“We were actually going out to eJnlighten the public on why they need to vote this government out,” Bawa said.

He argued that public resources should be directed towards projects identified by communities as their most pressing needs, rather than projects determined without adequate consultation.

“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.

Bawa promised that his administration, if elected, would operate what he described as a “bottom-to-top approach” to governance, with communities playing a greater role in determining government priorities.

According to him, a government may decide to construct several kilometres of road in a constituency when residents are more urgently in need of potable water, healthcare facilities or other basic infrastructure.

“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, the PDP candidate said his administration would adopt a strategy aimed at ensuring that residents could farm, travel and conduct their businesses without fear of kidnapping and other 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,” Bawa said.

He said security agencies and government should not wait for attacks to occur before responding, stressing the need for a more proactive approach to dealing with criminal elements.

“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 proposed security strategy would combine kinetic and non-kinetic measures, Bawa said his campaign was already consulting security experts on how to address the problem.

“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.

On claims by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that there was no strong opposition in Kaduna State, Bawa dismissed the argument, asking why the ruling party would be concerned if there was no opposition.

“If there’s no opposition, why are they worried?” he asked.
He added that the strength of the opposition would become clearer as the election approaches, saying, “By February, by God’s grace, everybody will find out if they have an opposition or not.”

campaign would not depend solely on rallies, billboards or other conventional campaign activities, stressing that direct engagement with voters remained important.

“It is not by rally or by putting billboards that will give you victory,” he said.
On the PDP’s performance in the 2023 elections and the movement of some elected politicians from the party to other political platforms, Bawa said 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.

He maintained that many of the supporters who voted for PDP candidates in the previous election remained with the party despite subsequent political realignments.

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

He expressed confidence that the party would build on its existing structure across the state’s 23 local government areas ahead of 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.

Bawa also said the PDP would be guided by its manifesto if elected, stressing that political parties should be held accountable for the promises they make during campaigns.

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

He added that the PDP candidates contesting the State Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and governorship positions would take responsibility for the promises contained in the party’s programme.

“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 to engage communities across Kaduna State as the party mobilises support ahead of the 2027 governorship election.