Governorship candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the seven Northwest states have pledged to restore fuel subsidy, implement an N110,000 minimum wage, and establish a regional security architecture if elected in 2027.
The commitment was contained in the ‘Northwest ADC Governorship Candidates’ Compact 2027-2031′, signed in Abuja on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at the commencement of governorship campaigns.
The declaration was read on behalf of the candidates by the Kebbi State governorship candidate, Abubakar Malami, SAN.
The seven candidates are Sabo Mohammed Nakudu of Jigawa, Isa Mohammed Ashiru of Kaduna, Ibrahim Ali Amin of Kano, Ahmad Babba Kaita of Katsina, Abubakar Malami of Kebbi, Manir Muhammad Dan’iya of Sokoto, and Bilyaminu Shinkafi of Zamfara.
The Katsina, Kaduna, and Kano governorship candidates were represented by their deputies, Aminu Yar’adua Ahmed, Kantiok Irmiya Ishaku, and Sabo Mohammed Nakudu, respectively.
In the declaration titled ‘Regional Covenant for Security, Development and Shared Prosperity’, the candidates said the Northwest is facing a crisis of insecurity, poverty, and poor service delivery.
They cited over 16,000 lives lost to insecurity between June 2023 and August 2026, as well as more than 1,583 kidnapping incidents since January 2023, affecting over 10,000 people.
They also noted that tens of thousands of households have been displaced and that more than 533,000 hectares of farmland in Zamfara and Katsina alone have been abandoned.
The region, they said, accounts for 45 per cent of Nigeria’s out-of-school children.
The candidates said that despite over ?8.33 trillion in federal allocations to Northwest states and local government areas between June 2023 and August 2026, citizens have not seen improvements in transport, food, healthcare, schools, and living conditions.
They promised to ensure that public resources deliver measurable results.
On the economy, the ADC candidates backed the promise by the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to restore the fuel subsidy. They said the removal of the subsidy by the APC-led Federal Government has pushed households in the zone into deeper poverty and has not translated into any positive impact.
‘We, the ADC Governorship Candidates of the seven Northwest States, hereby declare our total support for the promise made by the ADC Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to restore the subsidy as one of the immediate steps to halt the further slide of our people into abject poverty,’ the declaration stated.
On workers’ welfare, the candidates committed to implementing a minimum wage of ?110,000 across all seven states if elected.
They said the move is part of measures aimed at providing relief while ensuring accountability.
For security, the compact provides for a technology-enabled surveillance and rapid-response network in each of the 21 senatorial districts across the region.
It also includes the deployment of drones and the establishment of a Northwest Regional Security Coordination Centre to integrate aerial surveillance, community intelligence, and emergency reporting.
In education, the candidates said they would declare a state of emergency, ensure full access to UBEC funds, integrate Almajiri and Tsangaya children into formal schools, support girls’ education, and recruit and train teachers to reduce the number of out-of-school children.
The compact also outlines plans for agriculture, health, infrastructure, and youth development.
These include protected agricultural corridors, regional grain reserves, irrigation rehabilitation, the revitalisation of primary healthcare centres, one specialist hospital per senatorial district, regional roads and rail, independent power generation, and a Regional Youth Fund with TVET and digital hubs.
The candidates said they would not dissolve the constitutional authority of individual states but would coordinate where problems cross borders.
They listed four principles to guide cooperation: security first, people-centred governance, reform with responsibility for the vulnerable, and quarterly performance publications.
To drive the implementation of the compact, the candidates announced the establishment of three committees: a Central Coordination Committee chaired by Rt. Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki; a Technical Committee chaired by Maj. Gen. Aminu Bande (rtd.) and co-chaired by Prof. Sadiq Abubakar; and a Media and Strategic Communications Committee co-chaired by Salihu Tanko Yakasai.
‘We will cooperate where cooperation works better. We will plan before we promise. We will publish what we deliver. We will protect our citizens through reform. We will manage public resources responsibly,’ the declaration read.
In his acceptance speech on behalf of the committees constituted, Maj. Gen. Aminu Bande (rtd.) pledged their commitment to carrying out the assignments with sincerity of purpose.
Also speaking on behalf of the other candidates, the governorship candidate of Jigawa State, Senator Nakudu, called on the authorities to ensure that the former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, was released on bail.