Gov Bala Mohammed to join APC Tuesday

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State is reportedly set to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as part of ongoing political realignments ahead of future elections.

Sources indicated that the governor may formally join the APC on Tuesday following a series of discussions with President Bola Tinubu and key leaders of the ruling party in recent weeks.

The move is said to have been largely concluded after negotiations in which the APC reportedly agreed to a 60/40 power-sharing arrangement in the state and a potential senatorial ticket for Mohammed.

However, one major issue yet to be fully resolved is the governor’s request to nominate his successor when his tenure ends.

According to insiders familiar with the talks, President Tinubu has insisted that the APC structure in Bauchi State should remain under the control of the party leadership rather than any single political figure due to the state’s strategic political importance.

Several prominent figures from Bauchi are also believed to be interested in the governorship position, including the Minister of Health, Ali Pate; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; and oil and gas professional Bala Wunti.

Despite reportedly securing the power-sharing formula, Mohammed is said to be insisting that he should be granted the privilege of choosing his successor, a concession he argues has been extended to other political figures in similar circumstances.

Although discussions on that issue are still ongoing, arrangements have reportedly been finalised for Mohammed to officially join the APC at a ceremony expected to be attended by key party stakeholders.

If the defection is confirmed, the number of governors aligned with the ruling party would rise to 32, leaving the PDP, Labour Party (LP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Accord Party with one governor each.

Meanwhile, efforts to reconcile factions within the PDP are continuing ahead of planned talks between the group led by former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, and loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The Wike-aligned faction has outlined two conditions it considers non-negotiable for the reconciliation process.

Speaking on behalf of the National Caretaker Committee loyal to Wike, the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Haruna Mohammed, said the party’s national convention scheduled for March 29 must hold as planned.

He also insisted that the establishment of another caretaker committee under any name should not be considered, noting that a leadership structure was already in place.

“We are open to reconciliation, but we have conditions that are non-negotiable. Each group must come to the negotiation table with its own terms and conditions,” he said.

Senator Samuel Anyanwu also confirmed that discussions aimed at resolving the party’s internal crisis were ongoing, though he stressed that no formal agreement had yet been reached.

“We have been meeting, but there is no truce yet,” he said.

Despite the ongoing leadership dispute and recent defections, a chieftain of the party, Dr Adetokunbo Pearse, maintained that the PDP remained a formidable opposition platform.

Pearse, a member of Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 Presidential Campaign Committee and convener of the Reset Lagos PDP group, said the party’s current challenges were not as severe as widely portrayed.

“What is happening in the PDP is not as disastrous as many people think. Many Nigerians still see the party as the main opposition platform,” he said.

In a similar call for unity, former Jigawa State governor and founding PDP member Sule Lamido urged party leaders to close ranks and support the caretaker leadership linked to Wike.

Lamido made the appeal during a Ramadan Iftar with party stakeholders at his residence in Bamaina, Jigawa State, warning that continued divisions could weaken the party’s position nationally.

He described Wike as a strategic politician who moved quickly to fill the leadership vacuum after the tenure of the party’s National Working Committee expired.

“Some people may disagree with him politically, but that should not prevent engagement in the spirit of unity. The priority now should be reconciliation and rebuilding the party,” Lamido said.

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