Former Director of Protocol and governorship candidate of the factional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to the Tanimu Turaki-led leadership in Plateau State, Hon. Sunday Biggs, has declared his intention to offer what he described as a new direction for the state ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Speaking during an interactive session with journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ Secretariat in Jos, Biggs said his decision to contest was driven by his desire to reposition Plateau State and address what he termed years of underperformance in governance and development.
The former civil servant, who hails from Mangu Local Government Area, recounted his career trajectory in the state civil service, where he served as Protocol Officer before rising through the ranks to become Director of Protocol and later Permanent Secretary at Government House before venturing into politics.
Biggs noted that after contesting the 2023 governorship election under the All Progressives Congress (APC), he left the party and joined the PDP to continue pursuing his aspiration of leading Plateau State.
According to him, Plateau requires a paradigm shift in governance, stressing that his over two decades of experience within government circles have equipped him with the knowledge and capacity to steer the state towards greater development and prosperity.
Responding to questions on the lingering crisis within the PDP and the emergence of parallel factions, Biggs maintained that there is only one PDP, insisting that the issues arising from the party’s leadership dispute would eventually be resolved in line with the Supreme Court judgment and the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He expressed confidence that members of the different factions would ultimately unite and work together towards the party’s victory in the 2027 elections, regardless of their current alignments.
On why he chose to challenge the incumbent governor despite both being from Mangu, Biggs argued that governance should not be determined by kinship but by performance, adding that Plateau people had high expectations from the current administration which, in his view, have not been met.
He further stated that the governorship position was ceded to the Central Zone and subsequently to Mangu Local Government Area, stressing that his ambition was aimed at ensuring the zone completes the tenure allocated to it while restoring confidence in leadership from the area.
The PDP candidate also defended his credentials, saying that although he had never held elective office, he had impacted lives through public service, philanthropy and educational support programmes, including interventions at the School for the Blind in Jos and scholarships for indigenous students through his foundation.
Speaking on his development agenda, Biggs promised to run an inclusive government that would prioritize the needs of all parts of Plateau State through a bottom-up approach to governance, where citizens would actively participate in determining projects and programmes that affect their communities.
He said his experience working under different administrations had provided him with valuable lessons on governance and positioned him to understand the developmental needs of various communities across the state.
Addressing the persistent security challenges confronting Plateau, Biggs advocated a community-based security framework that encourages citizens to take ownership of the protection of their communities through surveillance, intelligence gathering and early warning systems.
He also called for the revitalisation of Operation Rainbow, Plateau State’s homegrown security outfit, arguing that the agency had enormous potential to strengthen intelligence gathering and complement conventional security agencies if adequately funded and supported.
On the sensitive issue of zoning, Biggs pledged to serve only the remaining four-year tenure allotted to the Central Zone if elected governor, assuring Plateau people that he would uphold the state’s long-standing power-sharing arrangement.
He maintained that zoning remains a vital instrument for promoting stability, fairness and unity in the state and vowed not to undermine the principle despite the temptations often associated with political power.
