A fierce intra-party row has erupted within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa State following claims that Governor Umar Namadi’s administration accumulated over ₦134 billion in new debts in 2025 alone.
The controversy began with a widely circulated Facebook post by Malam Zakari Sidi Kafin-Hausa, a former Senior Special Assistant on Health Monitoring during the administration of ex-Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar.
Sidi alleged that the Namadi government had taken fresh loans totalling “over ₦134 billion” within the year, including a ₦40 billion facility obtained about nine months ago.
Speaking to Daylight Reporters on Sunday, Sidi insisted the amount already exceeds the borrowing ceiling approved in the 2025 state budget by more than ₦5 billion.
“This is a dangerous trend that should not be swept under the carpet or politicised for selfish interests,” he warned.
“A time will come when silence today will become a regret tomorrow.”In a sharp rebuttal, the Special Assistant to Governor Namadi on Media and Publicity, Malam Umar Suleiman Kafin-Hausa, described the allegations as “completely false, baseless and a deliberate attempt to tarnish the governor’s reputation.
”Suleiman told journalists that the state has not contracted any new loan from Zenith Bank or any other financial institution.“What the State House of Assembly approved is not a loan and certainly not borrowing,” he clarified.
According to him, the approval was merely to enable Jigawa State to access, in advance, its accrued share of revenue from the Federal Government’s Gas Revenue Share through the Gas Delivery Company.
He explained that the Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will eventually repay the full amount, stressing that the arrangement is only to allow the state early access to funds that already belong to it.
“Several states, including Kaduna, Ekiti and Niger, have used the same legitimate financial instrument to access their gas revenue share through commercial banks. There is nothing new, nothing hidden and nothing suspicious about what Jigawa has done,” Suleiman added.
The back-and-forth has deepened existing cracks within the Jigawa APC, with loyalists of the immediate past governor and those of the incumbent trading accusations on social media platforms.
Party stakeholders fear the dispute could further weaken the ruling party’s cohesion ahead of future elections if not quickly resolved.
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