The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faces a potential collapse as Bauchi State Governor and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed, is reportedly finalizing plans to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) this week.
Investigations by THISDAY suggest that while negotiations are ongoing, the move marks a significant blow to the opposition.
Sources indicate that Mohammed’s decision may be influenced by the legal troubles of his Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, who is facing money laundering and terrorism charges.
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Adamu has reportedly threatened to implicate the governor if he remains in custody. Unlike previous defectors, Mohammed has been met with stringent conditions from the presidency.
A source explained that: “Unlike the privileges extended to the early detectors, 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. He was told in clear terms. He is stuck, from all indications.”
Furthermore, the governor was allegedly required to apologize to the President’s son, Seyi Tinubu, following a 2024 incident where Mohammed’s son, Shamsudeen, publicly criticized the younger Tinubu’s palliative distribution.
While the governor has reportedly offered the apology, he remains uneasy about the restriction on choosing his successor.
He has reportedly approached APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, to negotiate a “60/40 structure-sharing arrangement in the state” to protect his legacy.
The news has caused significant friction within the PDP, particularly among allies of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
Members of that camp are reportedly dismayed by what they view as a betrayal, wondering how the leader of the PDP governors could “capitulate at the expense of the party, whose misery he was believed to have contributed to through his hardline posturing over the years.”
If the defection is completed, the APC will control 32 governorships, leaving the PDP and other minority parties with only a handful of states.
