Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, was brought to a standstill on Friday as thousands of jubilant supporters trooped out to welcome Governor Babagana Umara Zulum and his anointed governorship candidate, Engr Mustapha Gubio.

The mammoth crowd stretched from Muhammadu Buhari International Airport to major roads leading into the metropolis.

Governor Zulum and his entourage were returning from a high-level meeting in the nation’s capital where he formally presented Engr Mustapha Gubio to Vice President Kashim Shettima. During that closed-door session, Vice President Shettima, who was a former Borno State governor, gave his support, officially endorsing Gubio as the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus candidate for the governorship race in 2027.

Addressing the crowd at the Government House, Zulum described the homecoming as “a testament to Borno’s unbroken unity and political maturity.”

Zulum unveiled Engr Mustapha Gubio as his preferred successor on Monday after purchasing the party’s Nomination and Expression of Interest forms for the 2027 governorship election under the APC platform.

The governor noted that the choice of Gubio was to sustain the momentum of the ongoing developmental service delivery by his administration since 2019.

On Zulum’s entourage from Abuja included the Deputy Governor, Umar Usman Kadafur; the APC Deputy National Chairman, Ali Bukar Dalori; the former governor, Maina Ma’aji Lawan; Senators Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Mohammed Ali Ndume and Kaka Shehu Lawan and the Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari.

Also in the entourage were the Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, some members of the National Assembly, and party stakeholders.

(The Nation)

•Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum (Middle), presenting Engr. Mustafa Gubio as the All Progressives Congress, APC, consensus governorship candidate in Maiduguri.