Borno Commissioner clarifies viral ‘finger’ remark, saying it was not a threat to the opposition

Borno State Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation, Youth Empowerment and Sports, Comrade Saina Buba, has dismissed reports that he threatened violence against opposition politicians, insisting that his controversial statement in a viral video was a figurative expression aimed at members of the All Progressives Congress.

Buba came into the public spotlight after a video circulated widely in which he appeared to threaten consequences against people who accused members of his political group.

In the video, the commissioner said, “We are now playing politics. Whoever shows us a finger, we will show him his finger… Whoever dares to show us a finger again, we will break his finger.”

But while speaking to journalists at his office in Maiduguri, Buba stated that the statement had been taken out of context and misinterpreted as a threat against members of the opposition political party.

According to him, the meeting where the statement was made was solely an internal affair involving APC members and had nothing to do with the opposition party.

He explained, “The meeting is purely a meeting of APC members, not a political party meeting. This is the City Children’s Movement (CBM) which was launched in the North East to empower party loyalists. This is purely an APC affair, not a political party meeting.

“We in the APC observed that soon after the party primaries, some aggrieved members started playing anti-party politics, and we felt the need to call them to issue orders by telling them: ‘Those who voted for the APC candidate will be given honey, while those who did not vote will be caned.’”

Buba said his comments were intended to send a political message to party members who may vote against APC candidates after the party primaries.

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He stressed that these expressions were not literal threats of physical violence, but symbolic language intended to explain the consequences of anti-party activities in political organizations.

The commissioner said the metaphorical message was that party benefits and empowerment opportunities would be prioritized for members who remained loyal to the APC.

According to him, the statement means that “the empowerment and other welfare packages will be limited to loyalists, and will not apply to those involved in anti-party activities.”

Buba also said he had no reason to apologize for the statement, stating that the statement was made in the presence of APC members and supporters who understand the political context in which the statement was made.

He reiterated that he did not apologize for the statement, which he said was directed at a group of like-minded people who agreed to remain loyal to the ideals of the APC.

The commissioner further said political attacks and criticism were expected to occur as activity increased ahead of the 2027 general election.

Expressing confidence in the electoral prospects of the ruling party in Borno State and the wider North East region, Buba said the performance of the APC in government would be of great benefit to the party.

He said, “Fortunately, there is no opposition in Borno, as our party will win all the elected positions considering the many people-oriented projects being implemented by the state and the Federal Government in the North East.”

The clarification follows widespread reaction to the viral video, with critics interpreting the commissioner’s initial comments as threats of physical violence against political opponents.

However, Buba maintained that the controversy resulted from what he described as a distortion of his statements, and maintained that the statements were made in the context of internal party politics and were never directed at opposition members.