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JOS, PLATEAU STATE — The 2027 governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Plateau State, Dr. Samuel DanAuta Kyarshik, has declared that the state possesses enormous economic and human resources capable of transforming its fortunes, insisting that years of poverty, insecurity and underdevelopment can no longer be accepted as the destiny of its people.
Kyarshik, who spoke on Monday, August 17, 2026, at the inauguration of his Campaign Council and a world press conference in Jos, said his decision to seek the governorship was driven by what he described as the urgent need to translate Plateau State’s vast potential into tangible prosperity for its citizens.
Under the banner, “Plateau Is Too Rich To Be Poor, And Our People Have Suffered For Too Long,” the APM candidate presented his 2027 campaign as a movement centred on security, human capital development, justice and accountable government, as well as industrialisation and economic transformation.
He told party leaders, members of his campaign organisation, traditional and community leaders, women and youth representatives, professionals, farmers, students, persons living with disabilities, religious leaders and members of the press that the inauguration represented more than the formal unveiling of a campaign structure.
“Today is not simply the inauguration of a Campaign Council,” Kyarshik declared. “Today, we begin organizing a movement around one fundamental question: What kind of Plateau State are we prepared to leave to the next generation?”
The governorship hopeful said his aspiration was not motivated by the pursuit of political status, but by a conviction that the state’s present condition demanded a fundamental change in leadership and governance.
“I am not seeking the office of Governor because I need another title before my name. I am not running because I believe political office is the ultimate achievement of a man’s life,” he said.
“I am running because I have looked at Plateau State, looked at our enormous potential, looked at the suffering of our people, and concluded that we cannot continue like this.
“Something must change. And somebody must be willing to lead that change.”
Contents
‘We Must Talk About The Plateau People Actually Live In’
Kyarshik challenged what he described as the difference between the Plateau State often celebrated in political speeches and the reality experienced daily by ordinary citizens.
“There is the Plateau we celebrate in speeches, and there is the Plateau many ordinary citizens experience every day,” he said.
Referencing the National Bureau of Statistics’ 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index, he argued that poverty in Plateau should not be understood merely in terms of the absence of money, but through the wider deprivation experienced by families and communities.
“Poverty is not merely the absence of cash,” Kyarshik said. “It manifests itself when a family cannot afford decent food, when a young graduate cannot find productive work, when a farmer cannot get his produce to market, when a child lacks quality education, when a sick person cannot access adequate healthcare, and when families cannot see a pathway from struggle to prosperity.”
He said the persistence of such deprivation was particularly troubling because of Plateau’s considerable natural and human resources.
“For a state blessed with fertile land, tourism, solid minerals, an extraordinary climate, intelligent young people, agriculture and enormous human potential, this is unacceptable,” he declared.
Kyarshik therefore reiterated the central proposition around which his campaign is being built.
“Plateau is too rich to be poor,” he said, stressing that the statement was “not merely a campaign slogan.”
“It is an indictment of wasted potential. It is also a declaration of what is possible.”
According to him, Plateau’s fundamental challenge is not the absence of resources, but the failure to convert those resources into broad-based prosperity.
“Our problem is not that Plateau has nothing. Our problem is that we have not sufficiently converted what Plateau has into prosperity for the Plateau person,” he said.
Security: ‘People Must First Be Alive’
Kyarshik placed security at the centre of his proposed administration, arguing that economic development and social progress cannot take place where citizens are constantly exposed to violence.
“Before we discuss roads, markets, agriculture, tourism or industrialization, people must first be alive,” he said.
He described the security situation in Plateau as one that “should trouble the conscience of every leader,” stressing that every casualty represented an individual life and a family permanently affected by violence.
“Behind every number is a human being,” he said. “Behind every man killed may be a widow suddenly left to raise children alone.
“Behind every parent murdered may be children who wake up the next morning without a father or mother.
“Behind every destroyed village are families who once had homes.
“Behind every displaced farmer is a livelihood interrupted.
“These are not statistics. These are Plateau people.”
Kyarshik cited a May 2025 report by Amnesty International, which, according to him, stated that at least 2,630 people had been killed in Plateau State over the preceding two years, while 167 rural communities had suffered attacks and approximately 65,000 people had been internally displaced.
He urged citizens and political leaders to confront the human consequences behind such figures.
“Think about that,” he said. “Communities attacked. People killed. Families displaced. Farms abandoned. Children traumatized. Women widowed. Livelihoods destroyed.”
“How do we become comfortable with this?” he asked. “At what point does repeated tragedy cease to be breaking news and become a crisis of leadership?”
The APM candidate vowed that his administration would not accept the normalisation of violence against Plateau communities.
“I refuse to accept the normalization of the killing of Plateau people,” he declared.
Making his position on governance and security unequivocal, Kyarshik said: “The first responsibility of government is the protection of life.”
He promised that security would occupy a central position in his administration rather than being treated as a peripheral component of government spending.
“Under the government we seek to form, security will not be treated as another paragraph in a budget speech. It will be at the centre of governance,” he said.
Among the measures he proposed are stronger intelligence gathering, community-based early warning mechanisms, improved cooperation between communities and security agencies, appropriate deployment of technology and improved emergency response systems.
He also stressed the need to pay particular attention to vulnerable communities.
But Kyarshik maintained that a comprehensive security strategy must go beyond the pursuit of attackers to include rebuilding the lives of victims and communities affected by violence.
“Security cannot end with pursuing attackers. We must also rebuild lives,” he said.
“We must talk about the widow whose husband was killed. We must talk about the child who lost a father. We must talk about the farmer who cannot return to his farm. We must talk about displaced families who want to return home with dignity and security.”
He added that government must address “trauma, rehabilitation, education, livelihoods and justice,” insisting that victims must not become politically relevant only whenever another attack occurs.
“A government must not remember victims only when another attack occurs,” he said.
‘We Will Not Govern Plateau By Pity’
Kyarshik rejected an approach to governance centred on periodic relief distribution without addressing the structural causes of poverty.
“Our people do not need pity. They need opportunity,” he declared.
“I do not want a Plateau where government occasionally distributes bags of rice while the structural conditions producing poverty remain untouched.”
Instead, he proposed a transition from dependency to productivity, with agriculture, mineral resources, youth employment, women’s economic participation and private enterprise forming important pillars of his economic agenda.
“We must move people from dependency to productivity,” he said.
“We must move farmers from subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture.
“We must move our mineral resources from extraction without sufficient local benefit toward responsible value addition.
“We must move our young people from unemployment into skills, enterprise and productive employment.
“We must move women from the margins of economic policy into the centre of economic participation.
“We must move Plateau from merely receiving allocations to deliberately creating wealth.”
The candidate acknowledged that government could not employ every citizen, but argued that it could establish conditions that encourage businesses to expand, industries to emerge and investors to commit capital.
“Government cannot employ everybody,” he said. “But government can create the environment in which businesses grow, industries emerge, farmers prosper, investors have confidence and citizens can turn their skills into livelihoods.”
He described this as “the economic revolution we are proposing.”
Four Priorities For An APM Government
Kyarshik said his proposed administration would be organised around four interconnected priorities: security of lives and property; human capital development; justice and accountable government; and industrialisation and economic transformation.
On human capital, he said the state’s greatest resource was its people rather than the resources beneath its soil.
“The greatest resource Plateau possesses is not underneath our soil. It is walking on top of it,” he said, insisting that “Our people are our greatest resource.”
He consequently identified education, vocational training, technology, entrepreneurship and leadership development as critical tools for economic transformation.
On justice and inclusiveness, Kyarshik promised a government that would serve Plateau’s diverse communities without discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, geography or political affiliation.
“Government must work for everyone,” he said, before listing several of the state’s ethnic communities.
“Christian or Muslim. North, Central or South. APM, APC, PDP, Labour Party or no political party at all.”
“The Governor of Plateau State must be Governor of all Plateau people,” he declared.
On industrialisation, he said the state must stop measuring progress principally by the amount of government allocation it receives and begin focusing on what it produces and the economic opportunities it creates.
“We cannot fight poverty only by sharing money. We must create wealth,” he said.
“We must add value to what we produce.”
According to him, agricultural products, potatoes, minerals, tourism and technology could all become foundations for new industries and jobs.
“Our markets should become engines of commerce. Our rural communities should participate in economic growth,” he said.
He proposed a new set of indicators for assessing the state’s economic performance.
“The question should no longer be simply, ‘What allocation did Plateau receive?'” he said.
“We must begin asking: What did Plateau produce? What did Plateau process? What did Plateau export? How many businesses did we create? How many jobs did we enable? How many families escaped poverty?”
“That is how serious governments measure progress,” he added.
Campaign Council Charged With Service, Not Status
Addressing members of the campaign council inaugurated at the event, Kyarshik cautioned them against viewing their appointments as opportunities for prestige or personal recognition.
“This is not an appointment to status. It is an appointment to service,” he said.
He directed campaign officials to take the message to communities across the state and engage directly with citizens.
“Go to the wards. Go to the polling units. Go to the markets. Go to the farms. Go to the campuses. Go to the motor parks. Go to professional organizations,” he charged.
“Sit with widows. Listen to young people. Speak with farmers. Engage religious and traditional leaders. Talk to people who disagree with us.”
He specifically warned campaign members against abusing or threatening political opponents.
“Do not insult them. Do not threaten them. Do not fight them. Convince them,” he said.
Kyarshik said the conduct of the campaign must demonstrate the values his administration intends to bring into government.
“We cannot promise unity while campaigning with hatred,” he said. “We cannot promise justice while behaving unjustly.
“We cannot promise competence while running a disorganized campaign.
“We cannot promise accountability while refusing accountability ourselves.”
He therefore reminded every member of the campaign council that they represented more than their individual political interests.
“Every member of this Campaign Council must understand that you are an ambassador of something bigger than yourself,” he said.
SDK To Plateau Youth: ‘Challenge Me’
Kyarshik devoted a special part of his address to young people, urging them to reject the notion that their role in politics should be limited to mobilising crowds, carrying posters or confronting opponents.
“Do not allow anyone to convince you that your only usefulness in politics is carrying posters, shouting slogans or fighting political opponents,” he said.
He urged young voters to become active participants in determining the policies and leadership direction of the state.
“Your generation must demand a seat where decisions about your future are made,” he said.
“Ask questions. Interrogate candidates. Examine our records. Challenge our ideas. Challenge me.”
He further urged young people not to support him simply because he is the APM candidate.
“Do not vote for me merely because I am SDK. Vote for a vision you understand,” he said.
“Vote because you believe that together we can build something better.”
He added that citizens should retain the right to hold their leaders accountable.
“And if we fail to present a better argument for Plateau, you have every right to demand one. That is democracy,” he said.
‘Women Must Participate In Decision-Making’
The APM candidate also addressed women across Plateau, recognising the economic and social burdens carried by mothers, market women, farmers, professionals and widows.
“I see you,” he said.
“I see the mother struggling to keep her children in school. I see the market woman fighting every day to keep her business alive. I see the farmer. I see the professional. I see the widow carrying responsibilities she never expected to carry alone.”
He pledged that women would not be confined to ceremonial participation in government under his proposed administration.
“You must have more than ceremonial recognition in government,” he said.
“You must participate in economic opportunity, leadership and decision making.”
‘Those Who Do Not Support Us Are Not Our Enemies’
In what appeared to be a call for issue-based campaigning ahead of the 2027 election, Kyarshik extended his message to supporters of rival political parties.
“You are not our enemies. You are Plateau people,” he said.
He argued that insecurity and poverty affect citizens regardless of their political affiliation.
“When insecurity strikes, it does not ask for a party membership card,” he said.
“When poverty enters a household, it does not ask whether the family voted APM, APC, PDP or Labour.”
“Bad governance eventually affects everyone. Good governance benefits everyone.”
He consequently promised that his campaign would not be driven by political hatred.
“We will challenge ideas. We will question records. We will confront failure. But we will not dehumanize our fellow Plateau citizens because they support another candidate,” he said.
‘2027 Must Be About The Future Of Plateau’
Kyarshik urged Plateau voters to approach the 2027 governorship election as a referendum on the future direction of the state rather than merely another contest between political parties.
“2027 must not simply become another contest between political parties. It must become a conversation about the future of Plateau State,” he said.
He listed questions he believes voters should ask every governorship candidate.
“Who can secure our people? Who understands poverty beyond political rhetoric? Who has ideas for creating wealth? Who can assemble competent people? Who can unite communities? Who has the courage to confront systems that are not working?”
He added: “Who understands that government is not an inheritance but a responsibility?”
“Those are the questions I want Plateau people to ask. And I am prepared to submit myself to those questions.”
‘A New Plateau Is Possible’
Kyarshik concluded his address with an optimistic vision of a Plateau State capable of overcoming insecurity, poverty, unemployment and displacement through competent and accountable leadership.
“I believe in Plateau State. I believe in our people,” he said.
“I believe that our story does not have to end with insecurity, displacement, unemployment and poverty.”
He expressed confidence that the state’s agricultural sector could be revitalised, its markets expanded, industries developed and its tourism and technology sectors transformed into sources of investment and employment.
“I believe our farms can prosper again. I believe our markets can flourish. I believe our industries can rise,” he said.
“I believe our children can receive world class opportunities without abandoning their homeland.”
He also expressed hope for communities affected by violence.
“I believe communities that have known pain can know peace again. I believe displaced people can return home,” he said.
“I believe Plateau can become a destination for investment, tourism, innovation and enterprise. I believe government can become something people trust again.”
For Kyarshik, the possibility of transformation depends on the combination of competence, courage, character and teamwork.
“And I believe that when competent people combine courage with character and surround themselves with other competent people, change becomes possible,” he said.
He subsequently described the inauguration of his campaign council as the beginning of a wider political mobilisation across Plateau State.
“Today, therefore, we inaugurate more than a Campaign Council,” he said. “We inaugurate responsibility. We inaugurate organization. We inaugurate hope. We inaugurate a movement.”
He called on his campaign organisation to take the message to all 17 Local Government Areas, wards and polling units across the state.
“From this hall, let the message travel to all 17 Local Government Areas. Let it enter every ward. Let it reach every polling unit,” he said.
“Let it reach the farmer on his farm, the trader in the market, the student on campus, the professional in the office, the widow caring for her children and the young person wondering whether there is still a future here.”
Kyarshik then distilled his campaign message into a series of appeals to Plateau citizens.
“Tell them: Do not give up on Plateau.
“Tell them: We can build again.
“Tell them: We can secure our communities again.
“Tell them: We can create prosperity again.
“Tell them: Plateau can work again.”
And, in the defining declaration of his address, he said:
“And above all, tell them:
‘PLATEAU IS TOO RICH TO BE POOR.'”
Kyarshik said the declaration represented the conviction, challenge and movement behind his 2027 governorship bid.
“This is our conviction. This is our challenge. This is our movement,” he declared.
He concluded by expressing his readiness to serve Plateau State if elected, while calling for divine intervention for victims of violence, affected families and communities.
“And by the grace of God and the democratic choice of the people of Plateau State, we are prepared to serve,” he said.
“May God comfort every family that has lost a loved one. May God restore our communities. May God bless Plateau State.
“And may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
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