The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Shehu Usman Bawa, popularly known as ABG, has expressed confidence that the party will reclaim its mandate in the state in the 2027 governorship election.
Bawa spoke with journalists during the weekend at his campaign office in Kaduna, where he discussed his plans for the State and the PDP’s preparations for the 2027 election.
He promised an inclusive government anchored on a bottom-to-top approach to development, saying his administration, if elected, would prioritise issues affecting residents and consult communities before deciding on projects to be executed in their areas.
Bawa said the PDP was engaging stakeholders across the state to explain its plans and why, in its view, residents should demand a change of government.
“We were actually going out to enlighten the public on why they need to vote this government out,” he said.
He said public funds should be deployed to projects that directly address the priorities identified by residents, rather than projects that may not reflect the needs of particular communities.
Bawa said his proposed bottom-to-top approach would involve consulting communities to determine their most pressing needs before government decides on projects.
“As a governor, you can decide to do 10 kilometres of road in a particular constituency while that is not what they need. But when you interface with them, you give them what they need,” he said.
He said the approach would form part of his plan for an inclusive government in which communities would have a role in determining their development priorities.
On security, Bawa said his administration would adopt a different strategy to tackling insecurity, with the aim of enabling residents to farm, travel and conduct their businesses without fear of kidnapping or 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,” he said.
He said the government should not wait until attacks occurred before taking action, but should pursue criminals to their hideouts.
Asked whether his administration would combine kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to tackling insecurity, he said his campaign was already consulting security experts on the issue.
He, however, said the PDP campaign would focus on reaching voters through direct engagement rather than relying solely on rallies and billboards.
Bawa added that his campaign would continue engaging communities across Kaduna State and addressing issues of concern to residents as the party prepares for the 2027 election.
