From Umar Danladi Ado, Sokoto
The member representing Yabo Constituency in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Hon. Abubakar Shehu Shamaki, has urged the people of Sokoto State to vote for all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections to consolidate the state’s development gains.
Shamaki, who is also the Chairman of the House Committee on Religious Affairs and is seeking re-election, made the call while speaking with journalists in Sokoto on Saturday on preparations for the 2027 campaigns.
He said voting for the APC at all levels would consolidate what he described as the numerous developmental achievements recorded under Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto since 2023, anchored on the administration’s 9-Point SMART Agenda.
He listed the agenda’s key areas as security, youth empowerment, economic growth, water supply, education, environment, agriculture, religious affairs and local government autonomy, which he said had recorded more than 90 per cent implementation.
According to him, the achievements include allocating the largest share of the state budget to education for two consecutive years, surpassing the UNESCO benchmark, as well as renovating schools, recruiting teachers and increasing feeding and maintenance allowances.
On security, Shamaki said the administration had procured more than 170 patrol vehicles for security agencies, 40 Hilux vans and 700 motorcycles for the Community Guard Corps.
He added that the government had also provided a 5G tracking system, constructed a military base in Illela and operationalised an Air Force base.
The lawmaker said that in the health sector, the government had rehabilitated 244 Primary Healthcare Centres and 17 General Hospitals, with ongoing work at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and the State University Teaching Hospital.
He noted that the administration had also revitalised township water schemes, which he said had helped address years of water scarcity, while embarking on major urban and rural road and housing projects.
According to him, the administration had maintained fiscal discipline without resorting to costly commercial loans.
Shamaki also commended the administration’s efforts to promote religious activities, particularly the rehabilitation and construction of mosques and Islamiyya schools across the state.
The lawmaker further commended key Federal Government infrastructure projects in Sokoto State and across Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly the ongoing 1,068-kilometre Illela-Badagry Superhighway.
He recalled that the project was conceived 47 years ago by former President Shehu Shagari and would link Illela in Sokoto State with Badagry in Lagos, passing through Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states.
He said the project would be constructed using concrete pavement technology.
Shamaki also recalled that the House of Representatives approved, in April 2026, a $516.3 million loan from Deutsche Bank, alongside N265.54 billion in counterpart funding, for the project.
He also cited the ongoing reconstruction of the 750-kilometre Sokoto-Gusau-Funtua-Zaria dual carriageway, which he said had been converted to rigid concrete pavement for durability and was scheduled for completion in 2028.
Shamaki praised the APC leader in Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, for what he described as invaluable mentorship, guidance and direction to the APC-led administration.
He described Wamakko’s mentorship as an important support for Governor Ahmed Aliyu.
“We are happy that he has continued to take Sokoto State to greater heights, and more are coming,” Shamaki said.
He therefore appealed to the electorate to continue to repose confidence in the APC and its candidates at all levels.
“We should patriotically vote for the APC and all its candidates for Sokoto State and Nigeria to remain on the current commendable trajectory of development. Doing so means trusting the APC to continue to make Sokoto State better than it was before May 2023 and Nigeria as a whole,” he added.