As the 2027 general elections draw closer, political tensions and realignments are unfolding both within and beyond the country’s borders.
In Jigawa State, the atmosphere reflects a crucial turning point.
The opposition appears fragmented and uncertain, taking what many observers describe as hesitant steps forward and backward, weakened further by internal divisions and shifting political loyalties among emerging power blocs.
Historically regarded as a bastion of political stability and steadfast loyalty to dominant parties, Jigawa is once again positioning itself as a strategic electoral stronghold.
Power brokers at the national level, along with key actors in policy and governance circles, are closely monitoring developments in the state as its political landscape continues to evolve.
At the centre of this unfolding narrative is Governor Umar Namadi. His leadership style and governance approach are increasingly influencing public discourse, reshaping Jigawa’s political conversation beyond conventional rhetoric and redefining the state’s role in the broader national political equation.
Rather than relying solely on slogans and party loyalty, Governor Umar Namadi has constructed a performance-based political identity that seeks to anchor electoral legitimacy in tangible governance outcomes.
This development raises a fundamental question: Is Jigawa moving toward a new era of issue-based politics, or merely witnessing a more sophisticated form of political consolidation?
This remains a million-dollar-question to all political analysts and those that has stake in the governance and Government businesses of the New World.
Before delving into the known rhetoric, it will be good enough to re-echo the traditional political pattern in Jigawa’s political history, which has largely been characterized by continuity, elite consensus, and strong party structures.
Electoral outcomes have often reflected established power networks rather than vibrant ideological competition.
Campaigns traditionally focused on personality, patronage, and party affiliation, with limited emphasis on policy substance.
This pattern created a political culture in which governance performance, though important, was rarely the central determinant of electoral success.
Consequently, political body language often outweighed accountability, and public discourse revolved more around loyalty than long-term development visions.
Those that are within the space can attest to this trajectory and political transitioning from 1993, with the emergence of Governor Ali Saadu Birnin Kudu under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), to Governor Ibrahim Saminu Turaki of the All People Party (APP), who clinched the baton against the popular People Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, whose party obtained a majority of the LGAs, but sequentially we witness the relinquishing of Power to Sule Lamido by the then ANPP establishment and government based on political intricacies.
To keep records straight this trends hasn’t change even during the juggernautism of 2015, and what came to play then was full of political Marodanism which to date affects the biology of the state politics without clear physics or algorithms to claim ignorance, Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar then emerged at a sole candidate of the merger after rigorous permutation and politicking that stood for days and can easily be referred as ‘’Gumel battle’’ against all odds and arithmetic (the rest is a story, for another day).
Mindful of not being accused of misplacing priorities and setting a precedent, the politics, politicking, and polarization of the Jigawa state’s political structure get mismanaged with an attempt of silent political coup and displacement under the ego substitution without recourse to the rules of the game, and that cost a lot of political expensive joke of the century.
Without pre-empting political developments, Governor Umar Namadi’s emergence and journey in governance have been marked by significant strides across social, economic, and political sectors.
By virtually all measurable indicators, the state has witnessed notable and positive transformations. His administration has brought a renewed sense of direction, creating an enabling environment where governance is more responsive and strategically positioned to improve the lives of citizens.
Governor Umar Namadi, fondly referred to by many as Danmodi, has consistently adopted a conciliatory and inclusive leadership style. Rather than relying on coercive measures, he has preferred dialogue, persuasion, and consensus-building in addressing the numerous challenges that previously hindered progress within the system.
Through tact, patience, and strategic planning, he has worked to dismantle policy bottlenecks and administrative obstacles that once slowed development.
Importantly, his leadership has created space for citizens across all strata of Jigawa State to participate in and benefit from the state’s development drive. Central to this effort is the implementation of his administration’s 12-point agenda, carefully aligned with the state’s established plans, processes, and procedures. Through this structured approach, the government continues to pursue sustainable progress while ensuring that development remains inclusive and people-centred.
The Governor’s well-structured State executive councils meeting on weekly basis, the unanimous agreement and broadcasting of the councils’ resolution, a multi sectoral one, the follow up, monitoring and tracking of awarded projects, the ever successfully and all-year-round, proto-type citizens engagement to all twenty seven (27) LGAs, the conduct of one-of-its’-kind-sectoral meetings with all, and relevant stakeholders x-raying the happenings with the premise of, what went well, what went wrong and what is needed to improve the situation had completely changed the governance and political narratives in the state.
Governor Umar Namadi’s administration represents a noticeable departure from this tradition. His political messaging consistently foregrounds governance outcomes, including but not limited to youth empowerment, social welfare, agricultural development, and institutional reform.
Rather than projecting himself merely as a party loyalist, Governor Umar Namadi presents his leadership as a technocratic and developmental project and a real advocate for masses emancipator, though to those who are within the development space had witnessed his Excellency’s contribution to bigger and globally accepted of governance under the umpire of systemic co-creation as postulated by the principles of Open Government Partnership, which co-chairs for almost a decade.
Those learnings and approaches have helped him swiftly and technically in shifting public attention from campaign promises to measurable actions.
By emphasizing implementation over declaration, Governor Umar Namadi has cultivated an image of competence and seriousness, positioning governance itself as a political campaign tool.
In doing so, he has blurred the boundary between administration and political mobilization, making policy delivery an instrument of electoral legitimacy.
It is also in notice beyond governance that Governor Umar Namadi has demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of political engineering.
His consolidation of party structures, encouragement of grassroots mobilization, and alignment with federal leadership reflect deliberate efforts to stabilize political dominance.
These strategies have weakened opposition influence and reinforced the APC’s control in the state.
However, this consolidation is not merely authoritarian or coercive; it is largely legitimized through performance narratives, consultation with those that matters most.
Development projects and social programs function not only as public goods but also as political capital. Thus, governance becomes both a service to citizens and a tool for sustaining power.
It is important to note that His Excellency’s dual role as both political leader and chief administrator signals a new phase in Jigawa’s political landscape.
In this emerging order, power is no longer sustained solely by tradition or party loyalty, but increasingly by demonstrable performance and the tangible impact of governance on the lives of ordinary citizens.
Across the state, from Gwiwa Local Government Area in the far North-East to Gwaram LGA, there is hardly any politically recognised ward that has not benefited from one form of government intervention or another.
These interventions reflect a deliberate effort to ensure that development is not concentrated in select areas but evenly distributed across communities.
For instance, in Farin Dutse, both as a community and a political ward, several long-standing challenges have been addressed.
A failed electricity line that had remained non-functional for over 16 years was rehabilitated and restored.
The government also undertook the construction of concrete drainage systems to reclaim waterlogged areas and curb the threat of gully erosion that had endangered homes and livelihoods.
In the education sector, new schools were constructed to tackle the out-of-school syndrome, including projects at the Junior Arabic Secondary School and the Fulani Community Primary School in Alagarno. These interventions have contributed to improved teaching and learning outcomes.
Additionally, the provision of solar-powered and motorised boreholes, alongside a comprehensive water reticulation system serving the entire community, stands as a lasting testament to the administration’s commitment to sustainable development.
Through such targeted and community-focused initiatives, Governor Umar Namadi’s leadership continues to redefine governance as service-driven by measurable impact and inclusive growth.
It is also in record that the contract approved and awarded for the road starting from Gwaram to Farin Dutse, to Fagam with a spur to Kwanar Sagir, will soon be rehabilitated and overlaid with asphalt to ease the transport commotion of goods and services from the whole Fagam constituency, which harbours the popular grain and foodstuffs Haya Market.
One of the most significant outcomes of this governance-driven narrative of Governor Umar Namadi is the gradual transformation of voter expectations.
Many Jigawa citizens increasingly assess leadership through visible outcomes rather than symbolic promises. Infrastructure employment programs and social interventions now form part of political evaluation.
We keenly await a shift from the traditional approach to a new normal where the expert and digital crops will make a difference in revolutionizing the political dynamics with less hustles of sentiments and disenfranchisement, leading to a deliberate and conscious strategic political engineering running away from the traditional rhetoric.
This piece is contributed by Yunusa Hamza (Tafidan Farin Dutse.
He writes from Kofar Fada Farin Dutse, Gwaram LGA, Jigawa state – yunusafarindutse@gmail.com
