The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jigawa State is turning its social media supporters into a campaign force for the 2027 governorship election, with a clear instruction: argue with facts, not insults.
At a meeting with youth leaders and social media operators on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, Shehu Liman, Director-General of the PDP Campaign Council, told participants to obey the law and avoid slander, personal attacks and defamatory statements. When critics come, he said, they should answer with facts, highlight the party’s record and explain its promises. Liman added that the party would market its candidates by showing its record in government and its plans if returned to power.
Former Governor Sule Lamido, who also addressed the gathering, described the youths as the party’s foot soldiers. He asked them to explain what his administration achieved between 2007 and 2015 and compare it with the record of Governor Umar Namadi’s APC government. He urged them to stay disciplined, avoid distractions and go beyond online activity by building support in their communities, serving as party agents and helping to protect votes at polling units.
The campaign will begin in the three senatorial zones before reaching all 27 local government areas, Lamido said. He claimed that Jigawa is “gradually dying” under the APC.
State chairman Babandi Ibrahim Gumel thanked the youths and influencers for defending the party’s image on digital platforms and radio. He said the PDP is confident it can challenge the APC and claimed that development has slowed since the party left office in 2015. The account of the meeting gave no figures to support either claim.
The PDP’s candidate is Lamido’s son, Mustapha Sule Lamido, who lost to Namadi in 2023.
