2027: Zulum Declares Borno APC Territory

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has called on political aspirants who lost out during party primaries to put their grievances aside, forgive past shortcomings, and rally behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Governor Zulum made the appeal on Sunday upon returning to Maiduguri from Canada and the United States, where he was honored with Pan-African top leadership award.

He was received at the airport by party executives, federal and state lawmakers, top government officials and a mammoth crowd of supporters.

Addressing the gathering, the governor urged political contenders to view electoral defeat as an act of divine will.

“For those who contested the party primaries, from governorship down to the House of Assembly, if we offended anyone, he should forgive us,” Zulum said.

“Take it as a will of God, because it’s only God that gives power to whom He wishes. The choice is from God, and no one has the might to fight God’s choice. We love every party member equally.”

Reflecting on his administration’s performance over the past seven years, Zulum maintained that his government had operated with integrity and fairness.

“Throughout the over seven years we spent in administration, we have not cheated anyone. Whatever we had not achieved was not of our making, but we tried our best,” he stated.

Acknowledging that his administration might have fallen short of some expectations, Zulum sued for reconciliation. “I’m appealing to you, whoever holds a grudge that we fell short in meeting his expectations should forgive us. We are human, and where we erred, I assure you that the incoming governor, Mustapha Gubio, will execute [the remaining tasks].”

Positioning the APC as the sole dominant political force in Borno, Zulum asserted that no other party possessed the strength to rival the ruling party in the state.

He charged party loyalists to vote massively across the board, from the presidency down to the 27 state assembly seats, urging them to leverage the current political standing of the state.

He highlighted that with the Vice Presidential position currently occupied by a son of the state, Borno is uniquely positioned to secure more federal projects and interventions, provided the electorate remains united under the APC banner.

While stressing the importance of total party loyalty, the governor issued a firm note to dissenters, stating that anyone who refuses to support the party would not benefit from the incoming administration, though he expressed confidence in total victory regardless.

Governor Zulum also expressed appreciation to party stakeholders, current officeholders, and executives for their steadfast support, assuring women and youth groups that more empowerment programs would be rolled out within the week.

Reiterating his commitment to governance, the governor admitted that while it is humanly impossible to satisfy everyone, his administration remains dedicated to fulfilling its remaining promises, with the incoming leadership poised to complete any unfinished business across all 27 local government areas.