A governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State, Commander Yilcini Jan Bida (rtd), has dismissed rumours of his withdrawal from the race, insisting that he remains fully committed to contesting in the party’s primaries.
Bida, a retired military officer, made the remarks during a media interaction with journalists in Jos, where he also declared that he would defeat the incumbent governor if the process is transparent and credible.
“Give us free and fair primaries and I will defeat the incumbent governor. Plateau people are tired. Plateau people have witnessed failed promises. We have studied the budgets, we have looked at the figures and we believe Plateau people deserve far more than what they are currently getting in terms of governance, infrastructure and development,” Bida stated.
The aspirant unveiled his development blueprint tagged the “LIGHT Agenda,” focusing on infrastructure, security, enterprise development, human capital, tourism and investment.
He said his administration intends to spend about N1 trillion on infrastructure development over four years, including the construction of at least 40 kilometres of roads in each of the 17 local government areas of the state.
Bida also criticised what he described as poor budget implementation in critical sectors, particularly education, arguing that government spending priorities have failed to reflect the needs of Plateau residents.
According to him, although over N349 million was budgeted for secondary education capital projects in 2023, only about N22 million was eventually released.
On insecurity, Bida said recurring attacks across Plateau require a more strategic and community-driven response, stressing that poor road access and lack of telecommunications infrastructure have contributed to delayed security response in vulnerable communities.
“One of the cardinal successes of any military operation is response time. What is the point if we cannot respond quickly enough to save lives and property? I have visited some of these attacked communities and in many of them you cannot even make a phone call because there is no network coverage.
“If I become governor and fail to address insecurity, then I would not only have failed the people of Plateau State, I would also have failed the military institution itself,” he said.
The former military officer proposed reforms to Operation Rainbow, deployment of CCTV systems, improved intelligence gathering and 100 per cent mobile network coverage across the state.
He further advocated community-based recruitment into local security structures, arguing that locals understand their terrain better and can provide more reliable intelligence.
Speaking on Plateau’s long-standing zoning arrangement, Bida questioned whether the state should continue prioritising zoning over performance.
“But should we continue to reinforce failure simply for the sake of zoning? We must be truthful with ourselves. If the people of Plateau State believe zoning should continue after four years, then they also have the power to remove me after four years. Nobody is bigger than the people,” he stated.
Bida also dismissed claims that he is being sponsored by political godfathers, insisting that his campaign is driven largely by grassroots support and goodwill from Plateau residents.
He added that his administration would establish a Plateau Enterprise Development Fund to provide youths and entrepreneurs access to single-digit loans and grants, while also expanding technical education and STEM-based learning.
The APC aspirant urged Plateau residents to hold him accountable to the promises contained in his blueprint, insisting that leadership must be rooted in integrity, transparency and service to the people.
