The planned move of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reportedly fallen through due to a failure to reach an agreement on a power-sharing arrangement.
Negotiations between the Governor’s Turaki-led PDP faction and the APC leadership reached an impasse after the ruling party rejected a proposed 60–40 formula for control over the party’s structure in Bauchi State.
Following this deadlock, the Governor and his supporters have signaled their readiness to explore other political platforms, with plans already in motion to evaluate new defection options from the ward to the state levels.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Sama’ila Burga, Chairman of the Turaki-led PDP faction, explained that the APC demonstrated it was not prepared to fully integrate the existing PDP structure and the state government.
Burga revealed that the APC had originally initiated the discussions through the Governor, involving national leaders and Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, who had traveled to Bauchi to encourage the move.
However, the talks collapsed when the APC refused the 60–40 split, a formula Burga claimed has been standard practice in other states where governors have defected.
Burga defended the proposal, stating, “This is how it has been done in other places where governors defected to APC. They rejected this formula and we have closed that discussion. You cannot expect a government bringing its structure from ward level to the state not to have control of the party.”
He further confirmed that the press briefing was held at the direction of Governor Mohammed, who has been personally leading the negotiations.
Following thorough consultations with various stakeholders, the PDP faction has officially decided to end all talks with the APC.
Burga noted, “After careful consideration, it became clear that the conditions collectively advanced for such a political realignment were not accepted by the APC leadership. In light of this, we want to announce that the discussions have not yielded a conclusive outcome and are hereby formally discontinued.”
With the APC option now off the table, the faction is looking toward alternative political parties to find a more accommodating alignment.
Burga concluded, “While we appreciate the outreach and engagement by the APC, we wish to state unequivocally that the process has now been brought to a close. Consequently, the PDP in Bauchi State, in consultation with His Excellency and other critical stakeholders, is actively considering all available political options other than the APC to determine the most suitable path forward in line with the aspirations and best interests of the people of Bauchi State.”
