The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, on Friday, October 10, 2026, flagged off his campaign for the 2027 governorship election in Zing Local Government Area with a call for accountable governance.
The colourful flag-off ceremony attracted a mammoth crowd of supporters and was attended by the PDP State Chairman and members of the State Executive Committee, PDP senatorial candidates, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly flag bearers.
Among the dignitaries at the event were the Gombe State PDP gubernatorial candidate, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami and the Adamawa State PDP gubernatorial candidate.
The high point of the event was the declaration by Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, who openly endorsed Senator Bwacha as his preferred candidate for Taraba State.
Speaking at the unveiling, Pantami said he has known Senator Bwacha for a long time and that Bwacha has assured him that he will be just, fair and honest to all tribes and religions in Taraba State if elected governor.
Pantami said based on his personal relationship and trust in Bwacha, he can vouch for him to deliver justice and equity to all Tarabans.
“I have known Senator Bwacha for a long time. He has assured me that he will be just, fair and honest to all tribes and religions in Taraba State if elected governor. Based on my relationship with him, I am personally assuring Tarabans that Bwacha will treat every tribe and every religion fairly,” Pantami said.
He then declared: “I am declaring Senator Emmanuel Bwacha as my candidate, and I am urging all Tarabans, both Muslims and Christians, to vote for him.”
The declaration drew loud cheers from the crowd in Zing.
In his address titled “A Call for Accountable Governance and Development in Taraba State,” Senator Bwacha said the 2027 election is not about personalities or parties, but about governance, responsibility, performance and the future of the state.
Bwacha lamented what he described as serious concerns about infrastructure, public expenditure, borrowing, social services, and government-community relations.
He accused the state government of opaque borrowing, citing reports from the Debt Management Office and three financing agreements signed in June 2026 between Taraba State and the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) worth approximately $268 million.
“All disappeared just as the previous borrowing had disappeared. What has been drawn? What has been spent? What value has been created? What jobs have been generated? What assets will remain for future generations? What repayment obligations will ultimately fall upon the people of Taraba?” Bwacha queried.
“Public borrowing must be accompanied by transparency, accountability, value for money, and measurable public benefits.”
Bwacha further said his vision is to build a state where government is connected to communities, noting that Taraba as an agrarian state must unlock its agricultural potential through rural security and roads that link farms to markets.
He said he wept after watching a video of the deplorable road leading to Kurmi Local Government despite huge resources accruing to the state.
“Where are these resources? Why haven’t they developed the local government? We must ask these questions,” he said.
On youth and women, Bwacha promised to treat them as key partners in development in sports, agriculture, entertainment, entrepreneurship, technology, and commerce, and not as people to be used and dumped.
“The youth must not be seen as people who are only used and dumped. After you have amassed so much wealth for our development, and you remove a little and throw to them, they begin to follow you like dogs. We must discourage this attitude. The youth are the future of our state.”
He promised a government for all where the farmer can work in safety, the worker has dignity, the pensioner has peace, the student has opportunity, and public resources are managed with transparency.
“Nothing will be hidden from you under my watch if elected as your governor come 2027.”
Calling for unity across Jukun, Mumuye, Kuteb, Ichen, Chamba, Fulani, Mambilla, Muslim, and Christian divides, Bwacha said Tarabans must look beyond ethnicity and religion to examine ideas, experience and capacity.
“We are tired of leaders who use these factors to divide us and steal our commonwealth. At the end of the day, we become victims of state thieves. I mean state thieves.”
He urged security agencies to resist being used to rig the election and assured people in far-reaching border communities of Gembu, Kurmi, Takum, and Gashaka that they are part of his vision.
“We give thanks to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, who made it possible that many resources have come to the state. But we haven’t seen where our resources are being utilized. Taraba is going backwards, and we must stop this,” Bwacha concluded.
The Adamawa State PDP gubernatorial candidate who also spoke at the event called for unity in the PDP family across the North East and urged Tarabans to support Bwacha’s candidature.
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