By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Former Bauchi State governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, SAN, has assured the people of the state that he will serve with greater focus, efficiency and impact, if elected for another term in 2027.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria gave the assurance after he secured the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial nomination form ahead of the party primary election.
He declared that his renewed bid for office is driven by collective interest rather than personal ambition.
Speaking in Abuja during the presentation of the form by the MA Abubakar Strategic Committee, the former governor said his decision to re-enter the race was in response to widespread calls from across Bauchi and beyond.
“This ambition is not personal — it is a collective aspiration,” Abubakar declared, emphasizing that his return is rooted in the desire to consolidate past gains and accelerate development in the state.
“It is driven by the widespread calls and support I have received from across the state and beyond since the political season began,” he added.
The event, attended by party loyalists, political leaders, and supporters, highlighted what many described as growing momentum behind his candidacy within the All Progressives Congress.
Reaffirming his readiness to serve, Abubakar stated, “Today, I formally affirm my willingness and readiness to contest for the governorship of Bauchi State in the 2027 general elections.”
Reflecting on his previous tenure, he said, “Having served as governor, I gained an intimate understanding of our state’s unique challenges and immense opportunities,” adding that the experience has prepared him “to serve with greater focus, efficiency, and impact if given the mandate once again.”
According to him, “Having served as Governor from 2015 to 2019, I gained an intimate understanding of our state’s unique challenges and immense opportunities. That experience has further prepared and equipped me to serve with greater focus, efficiency, and impact if given the mandate once again.
“During my first tenure, we inherited a state burdened with heavy debts, salary arrears, and systemic challenges. Yet, by the grace of God and through prudent management, we achieved verifiable progress across critical sectors: We cleared inherited salary backlogs, stabilized salary payments despite national recession, sanitized the state payroll by removing ghost workers, recovered looted state assets (vehicles, generators, properties), and established the Public Property and Funds Recovery Tribunal to institutionalize the fight against corruption.
“We pruned government ministries and directorates for efficiency and restored running costs to MDAs.
“We awarded contracts for over 175 km of road projects worth more than N20.4 billion, including dualization and rehabilitation of key roads in Bauchi metropolis (such as Awalah Roundabout to Kano Road), Misau, Azare, Toro, Darazo, Jama’are, and other LGAs. We made significant investments in electricity (rural electrification projects, transformers) and water supply (major contracts worth over N6.5 billion for Gubi Dam rehabilitation, new reservoirs, pumping mains, and hundreds of boreholes, increasing access to safe water for hundreds of thousands of residents).
“We allocated substantial portions of the state budget to education (approaching the UN benchmark), renovated and constructed hundreds of classrooms across primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary schools, trained thousands of teachers, supplied furniture, and upgraded key institutions including Government Girls Secondary School Soro, Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, and others.
“We supported scholarships, including overseas programs in agriculture, and invested in girl-child education and support for orphans and vulnerable children.
“We worked closely with the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari to bring federal presence to the state, invested in agriculture, health, women and youth empowerment, and maintained relative peace and security despite regional challenges.
“By the end of our tenure in May 2019, we left substantial funds in the state accounts — N11.8 billion, N4.5 billion, N5.7 billion, and $60 million (World Bank RAMA loan after counterpart payments) — after clearing May 2019 salaries and pensions. This was a deliberate act of leaving a strong foundation for continuity.
“We are not where we want to be, but we are certainly far from where we used to be.
“These achievements were recorded under very difficult economic conditions, yet they demonstrate what focused, transparent, and people-oriented leadership can deliver.
“If re-elected by the grace of God, I pledge to build firmly on these foundations and deliver even more improved, inclusive, and transformative governance” he said.
