…Threatens Legal Action
By Mohammed Abubakar Dutse
A Support Group within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa state has denied an online medium reports linking the State Governor, Umar Namadi to the purchase of N1.8 billion Sports Utility Vehicles, (SUVs) for himself and his officials, describing the report as fake news
In a statement in Dutse on Friday, the group under the auspices of the Jigawa Progressives Forum, (JPF); through the State Publicity Secretary, Bashir Kundo said the report of alleged purchase of the luxurious vehicle as imagination of the authors and a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the governor, who, is hell bent on delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
According to Kundo, Governor Namadi has, instead been concentrating on developing to through the provision of enduring infrastructural facilities to all the nooks and crannies of the in his two years in office.
The statement read in part, “Ordinarily, we ought not to have responded to this misleading information if not for the sake of stating the facts and disabusing the minds of some gullible readers who might have misconceived the discredited publication.
“The publication was meant to distract the ongoing historic developmental projects being undertaken by the people’s Governor of Jigawa State, Malam Umar Namadi,” the statement said.
The publicity scribe added, “The purveyors of fake news and their merchant Sahara Reporters deliberately concocted and spread false information claiming that Governor Umar Namadi had awarded a contract for the purchase of 12 SUVs and took delivery of other luxury vehicles parked at the Government House for his official convoy.
“The publication falsely claimed that Jigawa generated only N6.9 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the first half of 2025. These are false claims and outright ignorance on the part of the informants, with a sinister motive and unprofessionalism for the so-called online platform peddling the falsehood.
The APC official further noted, “We’d like to put the record correct and clear that the state generated over N23.8 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the previous six months from January to June this year, not N6.9 billion as claimed by the false report.
“The report deliberately misinformed its readers by reporting in assumption that visitors’ vehicles parked in the premises of the Government House are newly acquired convoy vehicles for the governor. While it is legal for the Governor to acquire convoy vehicles, Governor Namadi is still using old vehicles used by his predecessor.”
He maintained that the procurement law has clearly spelt out how a contract can be awarded, noting that a state being governed by a finance expert cannot award a contract to a cabinet member or any individual entity not qualified under the law.
“The Governor exemplified a politics of matching words with actions. Since before holding political offices, he lived well above board. He never prioritises luxury life at the expense of his electorate,” the statement added.
The APC publicity secretary insisted that the governor, in the last two years, prioritised building educational prospects of the citizens and connected hundreds of rural communities with road networks where the state government completed all 26 road projects it inherited from the previous administration, “some of which were either in early stages or not started at all.
“Governor Namadi’s government initiated 48 road projects covering 976 kilometres, in which 30 of the projects have reached advanced stage of completion this includes Jigawa -Sundimina – Birnin Kudu Road, awarded at the cost of N 11.5 billion with a 12-month completion period, but completed in seven months”.
He emphasized that there were ongoing 47km Sara–Gantsa Road at cost of N11 billion and 15 different feeder roads at varying 70 – 80 per cent completion stages in addition to township roads at Bulangu and Gandun Sarki as well as Dutse capital road networks at 60 – 70 per cent completion.
“Governor Umar Namadi’s administration inherited N82 billion liabilities of which the previous administration paid only N32 billion; the present government paid N50 billion. With these development initiatives, the governor is not prioritising luxury cars, rather committed to the state development,” the APC further explained.
“While Governor Umar Namadi administration inherited 82 billion liabilities in which the previous administration paid only N32 billion, the present government paid N50 billion.
“With these development initiatives, the governor is not prioritising luxury cars, rather committed to the state development. We, the APC support group, would continue to counter fiction with fact, and we call on the newspaper to pull down the false information portraying the state to the contrary.
“Failure to do so may not end well,
we are all adhering to the law of the land, and individuals and organisations are held accountable for their actions in accordance with the laws.”
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