Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has recounted how he was locked up by the police simply for declaring his intention to run for the chairmanship of Mafa LGA of Borno State.
Governor Zulum made the disclosure while inaugurating the Borno State All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council at the Multipurpose Hall of the Government House in Maiduguri, on Wednesday.
He revealed that the incident in Mafa was the first and last time he ever personally declared interest in contesting any elective position in his life.
Narrating the ordeal, Zulum said, “I was in Mafa, drawing water from a well, my hands blistered, soaked with blood. So, I declared interest and prayed to Allah for the position to drill boreholes in Mafa. But some people reported that I joined NADECO or whatever they call it, trying to instigate the public against the local government officials, and I was locked up.”
The governor noted that detention is sometimes an inevitable part of the political landscape.
He added, “So, I will not be surprised if police arrest someone during a political struggle.”
Addressing journalists, the governor reflected on the heavy burdens of leadership, stating that steering a state requires immense sacrifice, patience, and commitment.
The governor mentioned that he routinely closes from the office between 11:30pm and 1:30am due to the sheer volume of daily engagements.
Zulum also used the occasion to address various criticisms leveled against him, including allegations surrounding the recent arrest of “Tinubu Must Go” protesters.
He maintained his innocence, stating, “God knows, I only got to know about what happened in the mosque the following morning. But I have to absorb it because they voted for me.”
As a leader nearing the end of his tenure, Governor Zulum, who is notably one of the few governors who resisted pressure to run for the senate or other elective positions after serving as governor, used the platform to preach forgiveness and unity.
He recalled a personal spiritual moment at the holy Kaaba alongside President Bola Tinubu, where he prayed and forgave everyone who had ever wronged him, while publicly asking for forgiveness from anyone he might have offended.
He urged aggrieved aspirants who lost out during the party’s primary elections to put their differences behind them and work toward the success of the APC in the upcoming 2027 general elections.
Zulum said, “It’s only God that gives power to whom He wishes, and if you take it in good faith, He will replace it with something better.”
He specifically appealed to the members of the House of Representatives and State Assembly who lost their re-election bids to take it in good faith as an act of God.
He stated, “Especially Ya massa, who has been my very good friend. He will join me to walk the journey together since we are not holding elective positions.”
Zulum charged the newly inaugurated members of the campaign council, which he chairs, not to rely on past victories but to take personal responsibility by returning to their wards and polling units to engage voters at the grassroots level.
He also emphasized the need for Borno State to deliver massive votes to reciprocate the federal government’s developmental projects in the state and to ensure the victory of APC candidates from president Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima to Mustapha Gubio, down to the state assembly members
