Indications have emerged that the Governor of Bauchi State and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Bala Mohammed, may soon leave the opposition party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a development that could further weaken the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to a report by THISDAY, Mohammed could formally join the APC within the week, barring any last-minute changes. Sources familiar with the discussions disclosed that negotiations regarding the terms of his move to the ruling party were still ongoing as of last night.
According to individuals close to the talks, the Bauchi governor has reportedly been offered the APC senatorial ticket and would be entitled to the same allowances granted to other governors who previously defected to the ruling party.
Sources also revealed that during a meeting with President Bola Tinubu and leaders of the APC, Mohammed indicated his willingness to join the party.
One of the sources suggested that the governor’s planned move might be linked to the legal troubles of his Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, who is currently facing terrorism charges and a money laundering case involving about N4.6 billion.
The commissioner was said to have threatened to implicate the governor if he was not released from custody.
It was also gathered that the APC had presented Mohammed with stricter conditions than those previously offered to other governors who defected to the ruling party.
Meanwhile, individuals aligned with the camp of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde within the PDP have reportedly expressed shock and disappointment over the development.
Members of Makinde’s camp are said to be wondering how a governor who led the flock of 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.
Sources familiar with the discussions further disclosed that when Mohammed met with the president to finalise plans for his defection, he was informed that control of the APC structure in Bauchi State would not be handed over to him as had been done for some other defecting governors.
Tinubu, it was learnt, also explained to him the reasons why the APC structure in the state would not be handed over to him.
According to one of the sources, the president allegedly said the best he could do at the instance was to hand him his ticket back to the Senate, but that he won’t be allowed to nominate his successor.
“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,” the source explained.
THISDAY also learnt that the governor was reportedly asked to apologise to the president’s son, Seyi Tinubu, following an incident last year involving Mohammed’s son.
The issue dates back to Ramadan in 2025 when Seyi Tinubu distributed palliatives to residents of Bauchi State, an action that reportedly drew criticism from the governor’s son.
The source stated: “I’m not sure if you read sometime last year when Seyi Tinubu distributed some palliatives to people in Bauchi and Bala’s son lashed him thoroughly? They didn’t forget the embarrassment it caused them, and they have asked him to go and apologise to Seyi Tinubu. In fact, this particular condition is taken seriously.”
Shamsudeen Bala Mohammed had reportedly criticised Seyi Tinubu in mid-March 2025 for sharing food items in Bauchi during Ramadan.
He criticised Seyi for distributing food items in Bauchi State during Ramadan, calling on him instead to focus on sustainable empowerment, such as job training and business resources, rather than handouts.
Despite the controversy, sources said Mohammed has apologised to the president’s son as part of efforts to demonstrate his commitment to joining the APC. However, he is reportedly uneasy about other conditions attached to the move.
According to insiders, the governor hopes to influence the succession process in Bauchi State in order to protect his political legacy.
To this end, the source explained that the governor went back to the National Chairman of the APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, to help speak with the president about considering a 60/40 structure-sharing arrangement in the state.
Although it was unclear whether the APC chairman had concluded the discussions, Mohammed was said to have taken further steps towards the move by convening a stakeholders’ meeting in Bauchi State this week while awaiting the president’s response.
The development has reportedly angered some PDP leaders within Makinde’s camp, who see the governor’s decision as a betrayal of ongoing efforts to reposition the party.
Some PDP members, who got wind of the development, said if the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum could not stay back to fight for his party, despite all that he and Makinde had put into the efforts to rescue the party, then the hope for democracy has dimmed further.
Should Mohammed eventually join the APC, the ruling party would control 32 state governments.
Currently, the PDP has Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, the Labour Party Nigeria controls Abia State under Governor Alex Otti, the All Progressives Grand Alliance governs Anambra State under Chukwuma Soludo, while the Accord Party Nigeria holds Osun State with Governor Ademola Adeleke.
(THISDAY)
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