Borno State

Professor Babagana Umara Zulum of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is the current governor of Borno State. He was first elected in the March 2019 gubernatorial election and was re-elected in March 2023. Before becoming governor, Zulum was a professor of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Maiduguri and served as Commissioner for Reconstruction under Governor Kashim Shettima.

Maiduguri is the capital and largest city of Borno State. With an estimated population of over 1.2 million in the metropolitan area, it is the largest city in North-East Nigeria and one of the largest in the country. Maiduguri serves as the administrative, commercial, and cultural center of Borno State and has historically been a center of Islamic learning and trans-Saharan trade.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has been the dominant political party in Borno State since 2015. Governor Babagana Zulum won re-election in 2023 with approximately 85% of the vote, demonstrating the party's strong grip on state politics. The APC also holds all three senatorial seats and the majority of House of Representatives seats from Borno. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has limited but persistent presence, particularly in some southern LGAs.

The Kanuri people are an ethnic group indigenous to Borno State, the Lake Chad basin, and parts of neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. They are the descendants of the Kanem-Bornu Empire, which was founded in the 9th century and became one of Africa's longest-lasting states. The Kanuri are predominantly Sunni Muslims and speak the Kanuri language, which belongs to the Nilo-Saharan language family. Their traditional political system, the Shehu of Borno, remains an important cultural institution.

The Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009 and peaked between 2014 and 2016, has profoundly reshaped Borno State politics. Over 2 million people were displaced, thousands were killed, and entire communities were destroyed. Politically, security became the dominant campaign issue, overshadowing traditional concerns about development and patronage. The insurgency also disrupted electoral processes, with many polling units in rural LGAs becoming inaccessible. Governor Zulum's popularity has been heavily tied to his reconstruction agenda, and the APC has benefited from association with federal military operations. The humanitarian crisis has also attracted unprecedented international attention and aid flows, creating new dynamics in state-federal and state-international relations.

Borno State has three senatorial districts. Borno Central comprises Maiduguri Metropolitan, Jere, Mafa, Dikwa, Bama, and Konduga LGAs — the most populous district and the political heartland. Borno South includes Biu, Hawul, Bayo, Shani, Kwaya Kusar, and Askira/Uba LGAs, home to the Babur, Bura, and Marghi ethnic groups. Borno North encompasses Monguno, Marte, Nganzai, Kukawa, Abadam, Guzamala, and Mobbar LGAs — the largest by land area but most sparsely populated, and the region most affected by the insurgency. Each district elects one senator to the National Assembly.