Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has endorsed his immediate past Commissioner for Works, Mustapha Gubio, as his preferred candidate for the 2027 governorship election, setting the stage for a potentially fierce contest within the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The endorsement was confirmed on Tuesday evening by the governor’s spokesperson, Malam Dauda Iliya, who said, “Yes, Gubio is the anointed candidate of His Excellency who visited him shortly after the purchase of nomination form in Abuja.”
The announcement came months after Zulum publicly declared he had no anointed successor. Speaking during a critical APC stakeholders’ meeting in Maiduguri on Sunday, January 26, 2026, the governor had said, “I have no candidate for any position, and I do not know who will succeed me. I have entrusted the choice of leaders to Almighty Allah, in accordance with the democratic will of the party members and the people of Borno State.” He dismissed speculation about his influence on the party’s future ticket and urged stakeholders to allow new faces to emerge through a democratic process.
The shift was punctuated by a symbolic photograph shared by the governor’s aide, showing Gubio presenting his ₦50 million expression of interest and nomination forms to Zulum in Abuja. Present at the presentation was Senate Chief Whip, Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, a presence interpreted as a significant consolidation of legislative backing for Gubio’s candidacy.
Gubio, an engineer and immediate past Commissioner for Works and Housing, is being positioned as the “continuity candidate” capable of sustaining Zulum’s aggressive developmental agenda. According to Okay News, Gubio is “being positioned as the ‘continuity candidate’ capable of sustaining Zulum’s aggressive developmental agenda.”
From Zulum’s side, three engineer-technocrats initially emerged: Engr. Babe, the immediate past Executive Secretary of BOGIS, was the governor’s first choice; Engr. Lawan Wakilbe, the immediate past Commissioner of Education, was the second choice; and Engr. Mustapha Gubio was the third choice. “What is remarkable is how the VP’s camp outrightly rejected both Babe and Wakilbe, which by process of elimination has elevated Mustapha Gubio from third position to the governor’s current preferred candidate.”
The move is already stirring debate within APC circles in Borno, with analysts warning it could deepen existing cracks in the party. Political observers say the endorsement may not sit well with supporters of Vice President Kashim Shettima, who is believed to wield significant influence in the state’s political structure. “There are clear signs of parallel interests,” a political analyst in Maiduguri noted. “Both Zulum and Shettima appear to have preferred camps, and that could complicate party unity ahead of the primaries.”
From the Vice President’s side, Senator Abubakar Kyari, the incumbent Minister of Agriculture, stands as Shettima’s preferred candidate, while Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan, who represents Borno Central, also has his own political structure. Other names mentioned in the succession race include former APC Deputy National Chairman North Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori, who is reportedly under pressure to join the race, and Senator Tahir Monguno, currently Chief Whip of the Senate.
Gubio’s entry into the race adds to an expanding field of aspirants within the APC, raising the stakes as the party prepares for what could be a highly competitive primary election. According to the INEC 2027 timetable, Nigeria’s party primaries must be concluded and all disputes resolved by May 30, 2026.
Zulum, who will complete his second term in May 2027, had earlier set up two committees to scale up the APC e-registration and reconciliation among party members. The 10-man committee is headed by Nigeria’s former Ambassador to China, Baba Ahmed Jidda, and includes members drawn from the state’s 3 senatorial districts.
