A Governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State, Commander Yilchin Jan Bida (rtd), has declared that he would defeat Governor Caleb Mutfwang in a free and fair primary election ahead of the 2027 governorship poll.

Bida while speaking with journalists in Jos on Tuesday, dismissed rumours that he had withdrawn from the race, insisting that he remained fully committed to contesting the party primaries scheduled for Thursday.

The retired military officer said he was not participating in the race merely to add to the numbers, but was presented with a detailed governance blueprint designed to reposition Plateau State through security reforms, infrastructure renewal, enterprise development and human capital investment.

“I am fully in the race. I am not contesting just to make up the numbers. We have a programme, a vision and a covenant with the people of Plateau State,” Bida stated.

The APC aspirant unveiled what he described as the “LIGHT Agenda,” a comprehensive development framework built around Local Enterprise Development, Infrastructure for Productivity, Green and Sustainable Economy, Human Capital and Innovation, Trade and Tourism, as well as Security, Safety, Peace and Justice.

According to him, the agenda contains measurable targets, budget projections and implementation strategies aimed at restoring public confidence in governance.

Bida said insecurity remained the most urgent challenge confronting Plateau State, stressing that poor road infrastructure and lack of telecommunications access in rural communities had continued to frustrate security operations and emergency response efforts.

“One of the greatest problems we have observed in attacked communities is poor access roads and absence of mobile network coverage. In some of these communities, you cannot even make a phone call during emergencies,” he said.

The governorship hopeful pledged to ensure 100 per cent mobile network coverage across the state and promised to construct roads and bridges linking vulnerable rural communities to improve response time by security agencies.

He further disclosed that his administration would commit no less than N1 trillion within four years to infrastructure development, including the construction of at least 40 kilometres of roads in each of the 17 local government areas of the state.

“Plateau is not just about Jos. Development must reach every local government and every rural community because the strength of a chain is in its weakest link,” he stated.

Bida also proposed a community-based security architecture anchored on reforms of Operation Rainbow, insisting that personnel recruited into the outfit should come directly from the communities they are expected to protect.

“We want a bottom-up security system where communities are actively involved in intelligence gathering and peace-building,” he said.

The retired Commander promised to establish Peace and Security Councils across all local government areas, deploy CCTV surveillance systems and strengthen civil-military relations as part of efforts to curb violent attacks and criminality.

On education and healthcare, Bida lamented what he described as inadequate investment in human capital development, citing budget implementation gaps in the education sector.

According to him, despite allocations running into hundreds of millions of naira for secondary education in previous budgets, only a fraction was released for implementation.

“If we fail to invest in education and healthcare, we are destroying the future competitiveness of our young people,” he warned.

He pledged to establish additional technical schools, expand STEM education programmes and upgrade primary healthcare centres across all wards in the state.

Bida equally announced plans to establish a Plateau State Enterprise Development Fund to provide single-digit loans, grants and financial support to artisans, farmers, miners and small-scale business owners.

The aspirant also proposed the introduction of a “Made-in-Plateau Investment Summit” aimed at showcasing indigenous products and investment opportunities to local and international investors.

Speaking on the forthcoming APC governorship primary, Bida maintained that incumbency would not intimidate him, insisting that Plateau people were already dissatisfied with the present administration.

“If there are free and fair primaries, I will defeat the incumbent governor because Plateau people are tired of unfulfilled promises,” he said.

The APC aspirant accused the current administration of failing to translate increased revenues into visible infrastructure and development across the state.

He questioned what he described as huge allocations for vehicle purchases in recent budgets despite growing insecurity and infrastructure deficits.

Bida, however, said his ambition would never be allowed to trigger violence or instability in the state.

“If my ambition leads to bloodshed or insecurity on the Plateau, I will step down immediately. No political ambition is worth the life of any Plateau citizen,” he added.

On the issue of zoning, Bida said the ultimate decision rested with the people of Plateau State, stressing that leadership should be determined by performance and public confidence rather than sentiment.

Responding to allegations linking his ambition to political sponsorship, the retired military officer denied being bankrolled by any political figure, insisting that his campaign was being sustained by voluntary support from ordinary Plateau citizens.

“I am not sponsored by anybody. What I enjoy today is the goodwill of Plateau people who believe in this vision,” he stated.