There are indications that Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi State and chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, may be planning to defect from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), THISDAY reports.
According to the newspaper, discussions over the terms of his possible defection are still ongoing.
The report stated that Mohammed has been offered a senatorial ticket under the APC and the same privileges previously extended to other governors who joined the ruling party.
Sources cited by THISDAY claimed that the Bauchi governor had met with President Bola Tinubu and the APC leadership to express his intention to join the party’s political camp.
One source suggested that the governor’s reported move might be linked to the legal troubles facing his Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, who is said to be facing terrorism-related charges and a money-laundering case involving about N4.6 billion.
The commissioner was also alleged to have threatened to implicate the governor if he was not released from custody.
However, the APC was said to have imposed stricter conditions on Mohammed compared to agreements previously reached with other defecting governors.
Sources close to Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde reportedly expressed shock at the development, questioning how the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum could consider leaving the party at a time when efforts were being made to reposition it.
It was further gathered that during his meeting with Tinubu, the president allegedly told Mohammed that he would not be handed control of the party structure in Bauchi State, unlike arrangements made with some other governors who defected earlier.
Instead, the president reportedly indicated that the governor could be supported to return to the Senate but would not be allowed to determine who would succeed him as governor.
“Unlike the privileges extended to the early defectors, Bala Mohammed can’t get the full APC structure in Bauchi. They told him the best he could get is his ticket to the Senate since he is nursing the ambition, but he can’t nominate his successor,” a source was quoted as saying.
Another condition reportedly placed before the governor was that he should apologise to Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son, over a controversy that occurred last year.
The dispute stemmed from comments made in 2025 by the governor’s son, Shamsudeen Bala Mohammed, who criticised Seyi Tinubu after he distributed food items in Bauchi during Ramadan. Shamsudeen had argued that long-term empowerment programmes such as job training and business support would be more beneficial than one-time palliative distributions.
Sources claimed that Mohammed has already apologised to the president’s son as part of efforts to demonstrate his seriousness about joining the APC, although he is reportedly uncomfortable with some of the other conditions.
The governor was also said to have approached the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, seeking support to negotiate a 60/40 power-sharing arrangement for control of the party structure in Bauchi State.
While it remains unclear whether the request has been accepted, Mohammed reportedly convened a stakeholders’ meeting in the state this week as part of preparations for the possible defection.
The reported move has angered some members of the PDP aligned with Makinde, who described the decision as a betrayal of ongoing efforts to rebuild the party.
If Mohammed eventually defects, the number of governors in the APC would reportedly rise to 32. Other opposition-party governors currently include Alex Otti of the Labour Party, Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, and Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party.
Source: THISDAY.
