Defying a heavy downpour in Maiduguri, Zulum led party leaders, supporters and residents in what marked the commencement of the APC’s grassroots mobilisation across the state.
Speaking at the rally held at the Government House, Maiduguri, the governor hinged his appeal on what he described as the need to sustain the security, reconstruction and recovery gains recorded in Borno under the APC administrations.
Zulum said the relative peace currently being experienced in the state and other parts of the North-East was the product of collective resilience and sustained collaboration between the Borno State Government and the Federal Government.
According to him, continued federal support has remained critical to the state’s recovery, particularly in the rehabilitation of infrastructure and the resettlement of communities and persons displaced by years of insurgency.
He said any disruption to the existing political alignment between the state and federal governments could threaten the continuity of programmes designed to consolidate the gains of the past years.
He said: “In the first four years of our administration, we worked hard to ensure the security of the lives of our people, and with the help of Almighty Allah, relative peace was attained.”
He added: “Let us understand that the peace we are enjoying today is a result of our collective resilience and the federal government’s support.”
The governor consequently called on APC members, traditional and community leaders and residents to mobilise support for all candidates fielded by the party, from the presidential candidate to those seeking seats in the National and State Assemblies.
“Let us support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our gubernatorial candidate, Mustapha Gubio, and let us support all our National and State Assembly candidates,” he said.
Zulum particularly stressed the importance of securing legislative support for the executive arm, arguing that cooperation between elected representatives would facilitate the delivery of development projects and other democratic dividends to communities across Borno.
The governor’s mobilisation drive came on the heels of his return from the foreign trip, underscoring the political significance attached to the forthcoming elections by the Borno State chapter of the APC.
For Borno, where years of insurgency severely disrupted economic activity, displaced millions and damaged public infrastructure, the question of continuity in security and reconstruction remains central to the state’s political discourse.
The state government has continued to position reconstruction, the return of displaced residents and restoration of livelihoods as key elements of its post-insurgency recovery agenda.
Zulum’s appeal therefore framed the forthcoming elections not merely as a contest for political offices but as a choice over the continuity of the existing security and recovery partnership between Maiduguri and Abuja.
