Bala Mohammed’s APC move stalled – THISAGE

By Ayo Kehinde

The planned defection of Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has failed following a breakdown in negotiations over control of the party structure in the state.

The talks, which had reached advanced stages and involved key political players at both state and national levels, collapsed after the APC reportedly rejected a 60-40 power-sharing formula proposed by the governor’s camp to govern the party structure in Bauchi State.

According to the agreement, Governor Mohammed’s camp had sought majority control of the APC structure from district to state levels as part of the condition of joining the ruling party. However, disagreement over this condition ultimately stalled the entire process.

The chairman of the Turaki-led PDP faction in Bauchi State, Sama’ila Burga, confirmed on Saturday that negotiations had been formally halted after both sides failed to reach an agreement.

According to him, the APC was approached through political channels involving national and state stakeholders, including Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, who participated in efforts to persuade Bauchi Governor to join the party.

Burga stressed that the governor himself led the consultation process, which was based on trying to resolve political alignments across party lines.

“We requested this press conference at the request of His Excellency the Governor, who is leading the discussions,” Burga said.

He explained that the talks collapsed when it became clear that the APC was not willing to accept the proposed facility sharing formula.

“This has been done in other places where governors defected to the APC. They rejected this formula and we closed the discussion. A government that takes its structure from the constituency level to the state cannot be expected not to have control of the party,” he said.

Burga added that after extensive consultations with stakeholders, the PDP faction concluded that the conditions required for political realignment were not met.

“After careful consideration, it has become clear that the conditions collectively put forward for such a political realignment have not been accepted by the APC leadership… discussions have not produced a conclusive outcome and are formally discontinued,” he said.

He further revealed that Governor Mohammed and his political bloc are no longer limited to the APC option but are now reviewing other political platforms.

“The PDP in Bauchi State, in consultation with His Excellency and other critical stakeholders, is actively considering all available policy options other than the APC,” Burga added.

The development comes months after Governor Mohammed explored a possible political realignment, including initial engagements with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), amid a broader restructuring of the opposition following the entry of former Kano state governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, which increased the party’s national visibility.

At the time, Mohammed had openly expressed dissatisfaction with the PDP’s internal crisis and said reconciliation efforts had failed, forcing him to consult across multiple political platforms, including the APC and ADC.