Iliyasu Abdullahi Bah
The Kebbi State House of Assembly is facing widespread criticism following its donation of 25 Opel Zafira (2000 model) vehicles to the Tinubu/Kaura 2 Terms (TKT) campaign group, which is advocating for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Nasir Idris in 2027.
The vehicles, estimated to cost between ₦3.5 million and ₦6 million each, were presented by the Speaker of the Assembly, Alhaji Muhammad Usman-Zuru, who described the donation as the fulfillment of a pledge made during the group’s inauguration on May 20, 2025.
Defending the gesture, Usman-Zuru praised Governor Idris’s “excellent performance” and President Tinubu’s “magnanimity” toward Kebbi State.
“Governor Nasir Idris has delivered beyond expectations across all sectors, fulfilling his 2023 campaign promises. President Tinubu has also been supportive, making him the right leader to continue steering Nigeria,” he said.
The Speaker further explained that each of the 25 lawmakers personally contributed a vehicle as a commitment to the campaign, while commending Governor Idris for fostering a cordial relationship with the legislature.
However, the donation has triggered a storm of backlash from civil society groups, opposition parties, and concerned citizens, who deem it insensitive and wasteful amid Kebbi’s worsening insecurity, poverty, and infrastructure challenges.
Comrade Ibrahim Ngaski, Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Kebbi, described the action as both “shocking and irresponsible.”
“We are battling banditry, poverty, floods, and a high number of out-of-school children. The ₦87.5 million to ₦150 million spent on these vehicles could have been used to tackle these crises,” Ngaski said.
He argued that even if the lawmakers used their salaries, it was still taxpayers’ money, which should have been channeled into constituency development projects rather than political campaigns.
Abdullahi Mustapha, a member of the Coalition of Political Parties in Kebbi, accused the lawmakers of neglecting their primary duty of serving the people.
“At a time when citizens are struggling to feed, spending millions on campaign vehicles shows a disconnect from reality,” he said.
Critics have also pointed out that the donation is premature, with the 2027 elections still more than two years away. Many suspect that the move is more of a political reward than an act of genuine support for governance.