Northern Pulse

By Yakubu Haruna, Executive Director, Concern Taraba Citizens

As political gladiators mobilize across Taraba State for the 2027 governorship race, the ultimate prize—T.Y. Danjuma House in Jalingo—is fast becoming the site of a high-stakes referendum.

With campaign momentum building, voters and opposition forces alike are preparing to deliver their verdict on Governor Agbu Kefas’ three years in power.

Kefas assumed office in 2023 on a crest of promises to transform Taraba, tackle insecurity, revamp basic infrastructure, and create jobs.

Three years into his tenure, voters are looking past his initial campaign pledges to examine his actual track record.

The critical debate centers on what has been accomplished, what remains neglected, and whether a leadership change is required.

The political contest has intensified following the emergence of Senator Emmanuel Bwacha as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for 2027.

At the core of public discourse is a 42-point agenda of unfulfilled pledges highlighted by various citizen advocacy groups.

These unmet commitments span critical sectors, including road transport, public education, healthcare delivery, rural electrification, and municipal water supply..

Among the key projects listed by Concerned Taraba Citizens is the proposed dualization of the Jalingo-Wukari, Bali-Gembu, and Zing-Wukari corridors.

Also highlighted is the construction of the Jalingo-Karim Lamido, Wukari-Chinkai, Donga-Bentaje-Tunari, and Lafiya-Jen transit routes.

Other key infrastructure projects awaiting completion include the Wukari-Takum Junction flyover and urban road networks in Jalingo and Wukari.

Commercial capital projects, such as the Jalingo International Trailer Park and International Market, remain largely unexecuted.

Similarly, the proposed Wukari International Yam Market and the Jalingo metro bus system have yet to materialize.

Critical public services—including public school renovations, the Wukari Specialist Hospital, and local sports stadiums—remain incomplete.

Essential public utility access, youth employment drives, and the clearance of accumulated pension and gratuity arrears also remain unresolved.

For an incumbent administration seeking reelection, these outstanding obligations present significant political vulnerabilities.

They go directly to the core of the social contract established between the electorate and the state executive.

Kefas campaigned on a promise of rapid infrastructural development, economic expansion, and governance reform.

Shortly after his election, his administration explicitly assured citizens that the practice of unfulfilled campaign promises had ended.

That pledge now serves as the primary benchmark by which civil society and opposition figures evaluate his performance.

This scrutiny is further amplified by the substantial increase in federal revenue allocations received during his tenure.

In 2022, Taraba State’s gross allocation from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) stood at ₦64.91 billion.

That figure grew to ₦94.23 billion in 2023 before rising to ₦220.58 billion in 2024.

This represented a 134 percent year-on-year increase, bringing revenues to more than three times the 2022 baseline.

BudgIT fiscal reports show total state revenue increasing from ₦115.06 billion in 2023 to ₦249.02 billion in 2024.

Gross FAAC accounted for 93.21 percent of recurrent receipts in 2024, underlining the state's reliance on central allocations.

This upward revenue trajectory continued through 2025, with gross FAAC reaching ₦162.47 billion and net allocations totaling ₦153.33 billion.

In the first half of 2026, the state recorded an additional ₦94.37 billion in gross FAAC and ₦90.83 billion in net receipts.

These fiscal figures provide the economic context for assessing the current administration's infrastructure delivery.

While statutory deductions, debt servicing, and personnel costs absorb a portion of these receipts, discretionary capital funding increased significantly.

With federal allocations doubling, public expectations regarding capital project completion have risen accordingly.

Citizens are evaluating government performance based on completed physical infrastructure rather than policy announcements.

Furthermore, routine obligations like salary and pension disbursements are increasingly viewed as baseline duties rather than extraordinary achievements.

Timely payment of public servants represents a statutory obligation rather than a leverage point for political campaigns.

The central policy debate focuses on how effectively surplus revenues are deployed into wealth-generating capital assets.

Unexecuted road projects continue to impose real economic costs on agricultural supply chains and rural commerce.

Unbuilt market hubs delay trade expansion and limit municipal revenue collection across major commercial centers.

Delayed healthcare projects force residents to seek basic medical treatments outside their primary districts.

Similarly, stagnant youth employment initiatives leave a growing demographic of graduates without economic opportunities.

These structural challenges form the primary debate of the upcoming 2027 gubernatorial contest.

Rather than presenting a fresh platform, the incumbent must first account for the commitments made during his initial campaign.

Senator Emmanuel Bwacha’s entry into the PDP platform adds a direct competitive dimension to this accountability debate.

Bwacha, who contested under the All Progressives Congress (APC) banner in 2023, now leads the PDP ticket following recent party realignments.

Conversely, Governor Kefas now holds the APC nomination, effectively reversing the party positions from the previous cycle.

Beyond party labels, the contest presents voters with contrasting approaches to state resource management.

Bwacha’s platform centers on structural reforms in public education, healthcare delivery, and civil service management.

His proposed economic policy emphasizes prioritizing local contractors to retain capital within the domestic economy.

The platform also calls for restructuring the state's solid minerals sector to encourage broader local participation.

Given Taraba's extensive arable land and mineral deposits, resource optimization remains a central economic priority.

The state's primary challenge lies in converting natural resource endowments into formal sector employment and fiscal growth.

Bwacha’s proposal focuses on establishing local processing capacity for agricultural and mineral commodities before export.

This policy framework offers voters a clear alternative to the current administration's infrastructure execution model.

However, opposition proposals will ultimately be evaluated against the same delivery standards applied to the incumbent.

The core distinction is that the challenger campaigns on policy design rather than defending an active administrative record.

With increased revenue inflows to the state treasury, arguments regarding capital efficiency carry significant weight.

For rural farmers, infrastructure development is measured by road access to regional distribution markets.

For urban traders, progress requires functioning commercial facilities and reliable municipal services.

For young professionals, economic management is evaluated by private sector job creation rather than public sector patronage.

For local communities, state governance is defined by access to primary healthcare, potable water, and grid electricity.

These tangible outcomes form the core criteria by which the electorate will evaluate both candidates in 2027.

Governor Kefas must demonstrate that his administration's capital record warrants a second four-year mandate.

In fact, Bwacha challenged Governor Kefas to point out any N10 billion project in the state which has been executed by the State government under his watch stressing that he will drop his governorship ambition if the governor can point out such a project in the State.

Senator Bwacha must convince the electorate that his proposed economic model will yield superior infrastructure and service delivery.

Ultimately, the 2027 election represents a choice between two distinct approaches to managing Taraba State's public resources.