Gov Kefas Supporters Rubbish Bwacha 911bn Debt Claims

The Agbu Kefas Continuity Movement has dismissed claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, that Taraba State’s domestic debt stands at ₦911.07 billion.

The group accused Bwacha of presenting misleading figures and failing to distinguish between historical loans contracted by the state and its actual outstanding debt obligations.

In a statement signed by its Coordinator, Mallam Ibrahim Ardo, the group said a review of the figures cited by the PDP candidate showed that some loans whose stated tenors had elapsed were included in the calculation.

The group argued that adding every loan ever contracted by the state to arrive at a current debt figure was misleading because debt stock should reflect outstanding obligations rather than the cumulative value of historical borrowing.

“If a loan has reached the end of its tenor and has been fully repaid, how can that same loan still be added to the existing debt stock?” the group asked.

It challenged Bwacha to publish the documents and methodology used to arrive at the ₦911.07 billion figure.

“If Senator Bwacha believes Taraba owes ₦911.07 billion as outstanding domestic debt, he should publish the specific outstanding facilities, the creditors, the dates, the amounts still unpaid and the official documents establishing those liabilities,” the statement said.

The group, however, said questioning government borrowing was legitimate, arguing that borrowing was not inherently wrong if undertaken lawfully, transparently and for projects that benefit the people.

It said the focus should be on the terms of the loans, repayment obligations and how the funds were utilised.

The Kefas supporters said the administration’s performance should also be assessed against projects and reforms being implemented across the state.

They cited road construction and rehabilitation, healthcare investments and security improvements as areas where they said the administration had recorded progress.

“Today, Taraba is significantly more secure than it was before the coming of the Kefas administration,” the group claimed, while listing ongoing road and healthcare projects across different parts of the state.

The group specifically mentioned road projects around Mayo Renewo–Monkin, Jalingo metropolis, Wukari and other communities, as well as ongoing upgrades to healthcare facilities.

It urged Bwacha to provide verifiable evidence for his debt claim, saying Tarabans deserved accurate information on the state’s finances.

“Tarabans deserve facts, not political mathematics,” the group said.

The organisation also advised the PDP candidate to exercise caution when discussing government finances, arguing that the 2027 election should be based on records, policies and competing development plans rather than disputed statistics.

The group maintained that Tarabans should scrutinise both the claims and the evidence presented by political actors as the 2027 election approaches.