JALINGO — As political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Taraba State, Governor Agbu Kefas is increasingly facing a defining political question: what can his administration point to as its major achievements after more than three years in office?
The question is rapidly becoming one of the central issues in the emerging campaign, with political opponents scrutinising the administration’s record in infrastructure, revenue utilisation, borrowing, public projects and the visible impact of government spending across the state.
Kefas, who is seeking another term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), enters the contest with policies and programmes his administration says have significantly affected the lives of Tarabans, particularly in education, workers’ welfare, youth empowerment and security.
But the emerging opposition narrative is straightforward: after more than three years in office, where are the major physical projects that clearly demonstrate the scale of resources available to the state?
That question is likely to remain at the centre of the 2027 political debate.
The Infrastructure Question
One of the most persistent criticisms of the administration concerns infrastructure.
A social media commentator, Abdulmumini Imma, recently posed a question asking whether, since Kefas assumed office on May 29, 2023, the administration had constructed any major project entirely from scratch rather than renovating, rehabilitating or upgrading an existing facility.
The question has since fed into a broader debate over the governor’s infrastructure scorecard.
For the opposition, rehabilitation and renovation, while important, should be distinguished from the construction of major new public assets.
The argument is that an administration seeking a fresh mandate should be able to identify major projects it initiated, completed, commissioned and delivered for public use.
Bwacha Raises the Stakes
The infrastructure debate has been given additional political weight by former Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, one of the prominent figures positioning himself for the 2027 governorship contest.
Bwacha has reportedly issued a ₦10 billion project challenge to the Taraba Government, asking the administration to identify a project worth at least ₦10 billion that it has constructed and delivered to the people.
The former senator reportedly went as far as challenging the government to produce such a project and offered to withdraw from the 2027 governorship race if the administration could meet the challenge.
The claim has raised the stakes in the infrastructure debate because it reduces a broad political argument to a specific and measurable question:
What major project of at least ₦10 billion can the administration point to and say: “We built this, we completed it and it is serving the people”?
But the Kefas camp argues that measuring the administration solely through a single infrastructure benchmark would give an incomplete picture of its performance.
The ₦655.2 Billion Question
The infrastructure debate has also become intertwined with wider questions about Taraba’s finances.
Figures cited in the emerging political conversation indicate that the state government and the 16 local government councils collectively received approximately ₦655.2 billion from the Federation Account between June 2023 and June 2026.
The figures attribute approximately ₦393.4 billion to the state government and ₦261.8 billion to the 16 local government councils.
Political opponents have used the figures to question whether the level of resources available to the state has translated into commensurate development.
The figure alone, however, does not establish financial wrongdoing.
Government at both state and local government levels has substantial recurrent obligations, including salaries, pensions, administration, security and the provision of essential services.
The more important accountability question is therefore not simply how much money entered the state, but how it was spent and what measurable results were produced from it.
Debt Versus Development
The financial debate has also extended to the question of Taraba’s debt profile.
The Kefas administration has rejected claims that the state’s debt burden stands at approximately ₦1.2 trillion.
The Commissioner for Finance, Dr Sarah Adi Enoch, has said the figure does not represent Taraba’s official debt position.
According to figures presented by the government, Taraba’s domestic debt stood at approximately ₦85.51 billion, compared with about ₦87.96 billion before the Kefas administration assumed office.
The government also reported external debt of approximately $48.04 million as of December 31, 2025, compared with $46.47 million as of December 31, 2022.
The administration has further explained that some figures described politically as debt relate instead to approved financing programmes or facilities and should not automatically be interpreted as money already disbursed or currently outstanding.
But that clarification creates another legitimate accountability question:
If financing has been secured or accessed, what projects did the money finance, how much was disbursed, how much has been repaid and what remains outstanding?
The ₦206.78 Billion Facility
One of the biggest financial issues likely to feature in the 2027 campaign is the ₦206.78 billion commercial bank facility approved by the Taraba State House of Assembly in 2023.
The government says the facility involved Zenith Bank, United Bank for Africa, Fidelity Bank and Keystone Bank and was structured against designated revenue streams.
The Finance Commissioner has stated that the governor collected about ₦206 billion from commercial banks and that repayment was nearing completion.
Again, the political question is not simply whether the facility qualifies as debt.
The more important question for voters is what the facility achieved.
Tarabans may reasonably want to know which projects were financed, where they are located, their costs, their current completion status and how much has already been repaid, including financing costs.
The ₦350 Billion Capital-Market Programme
Another major figure in the debate is the proposed ₦350 billion capital-market programme.
The government has clarified that Taraba has not received the entire amount, with an initial tranche of about ₦35 billion reportedly under consideration.
That distinction is important because an approved or proposed financing programme should not automatically be presented as money already received by the government.
Nevertheless, should the programme proceed, public scrutiny is likely to focus on the projects it finances and the obligations eventually created for the state.
But What Does the Kefas Camp Say?
While opposition figures are increasingly focusing on infrastructure, revenue and financing, supporters of Governor Kefas argue that his administration’s performance should be assessed more broadly.
The Kefas camp says the administration has made significant investments in human capital development, workers’ welfare, education, local government administration and security.
Human Capital Investment
According to the governor’s supporters, more than 5,000 youths have been trained in different areas, while employment has been approved for more than 6,000 young people.
The administration has also trained civil servants to improve their capacity and meet modern standards.
In addition, the Kefas camp says more than 1,000 youths have been empowered with capital to establish businesses, alongside growth training and sustainability support.
Supporters argue that these interventions represent an investment in the productive capacity of Taraba’s population and should form part of any assessment of the administration’s performance.
Workers’ Welfare
Workers’ welfare is another major point raised by the governor’s supporters.
They argue that Governor Kefas successfully implemented the two approved national minimum wage adjustments within six months, including consideration for the local government system.
The administration is also credited by its supporters with maintaining improved remuneration and welfare benefits for workers and retired civil servants.
The Kefas camp presents this as evidence that the administration has prioritised the welfare of the people behind the state’s public service machinery.
Free Education and Subsidised Higher Institutions
Education is perhaps one of the most visible policies associated with the Kefas administration.
The government has introduced and maintained free education across the state, including payment for mock examinations, WAEC and NECO.
It has also increased allocations for professional courses such as Medicine and Law.
According to supporters, the subsidisation of higher institutions has made tertiary education more affordable for students from poor and less privileged families.
They point to Taraba State University, Taraba State Polytechnic, Suntai, and the College of Education, Zing, arguing that the institutions are now among the most affordable in the North-East.
The administration has also embarked on the construction of standard classrooms aimed at providing more conducive learning environments.
Local Government Reforms
The Kefas camp further points to reforms in local government administration.
According to supporters, the administration has improved the availability of funds to local government councils, enabling chairmen to undertake projects within their mandates.
They also argue that payment of local government salaries has improved under the administration.
The structure of the local government system, they say, now provides greater opportunity for councillors to participate in the development process, with the approach also extending to the state’s two development areas.
Security of Life and Property
Security is another major area highlighted by Kefas supporters.
They say the governor has treated security as an emergency and worked with security agencies and other stakeholders to maintain peace across the state.
The Kefas camp also points to the presence of the 10 Division of the Nigerian Army as an important addition to the state’s security architecture.
Supporters describe the governor as a negotiator who has used dialogue and engagement alongside security operations in addressing challenges confronting communities.
Beyond the ₦10 Billion Challenge
The ₦10 billion challenge may provide a powerful campaign talking point, but the broader performance assessment of the administration cannot reasonably be reduced to whether it can identify one project above a particular financial threshold.
A serious assessment should consider the totality of government performance.
That includes:
education;
healthcare;
roads and other infrastructure;
agriculture;
water supply;
electricity;
employment;
workers’ welfare;
youth empowerment;
security;
local government administration; and
the management of public finances.
The question for the opposition is whether it can demonstrate that the administration has failed across these areas and present a credible alternative.
For the Kefas camp, the challenge is to demonstrate that its policies and expenditures have produced measurable improvements that ordinary Tarabans can see and verify.
The Performance Test
That is what could make the 2027 election particularly important.
For an incumbent seeking another term, the advantage of incumbency also comes with the responsibility of defending a record.
For the opposition, criticism alone may not be enough. Challengers will have to convince voters that they can deliver better results.
And for voters, the questions may ultimately be simpler than the competing political narratives.
- What has changed since May 29, 2023?
- Which projects were started?
- Which were completed?
- Which were commissioned?
- How much did they cost?
- Where are they?
- What financing was used?
- How much has been repaid?
- And what measurable difference have they made to the lives of Tarabans?
The Kefas camp’s answer is that the administration’s record extends beyond concrete structures to human capital, free education, workers’ welfare, youth empowerment, local government reforms and security.
The opposition’s answer is that the scale of public resources demands a more visible physical development scorecard.
That is the debate now taking shape.
Ultimately, Taraba’s 2027 governorship election could become less about political slogans and more about performance, evidence and measurable results.
Governor Kefas will have to defend what his administration has achieved since May 29, 2023, while his challengers will have to persuade voters that they can do better.
And as the campaign gathers momentum, one question is likely to follow the governor and every other candidate:
What is your definitive developmental scorecard — and can the people of Taraba see, verify and measure it?
