Plans for Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have collapsed following disagreements over the sharing of party structure and control in the state.
The Chairman of the Turaki-led PDP faction in Bauchi, Sama’ila Burga, disclosed this on Saturday while briefing journalists, saying negotiations between Governor Mohammed, his political camp, and APC leaders ended in a deadlock after the ruling party reportedly rejected a proposed 60–40 power-sharing formula.
Burga explained that the governor and his supporters had been in discussions with APC stakeholders over a possible switch, but the talks broke down when the APC declined to accept the arrangement, which he said had been adopted in similar defections involving governors in other states.
According to him, the APC was not willing to accommodate the existing PDP structure and the state government’s political base.
He said, “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.”
Burga added that the consultation process was initiated through the governor and involved the APC national leadership, as well as Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, who reportedly visited Bauchi to persuade Mohammed to join the ruling party.
Despite the collapse of the APC talks, Governor Mohammed and his loyalists are said to be open to exploring alliances with other political parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
Burga revealed that fresh consultations were already underway, with the governor’s camp considering alternative political platforms for a possible defection from the ward level up to the state structure.
“We have called for this press conference at the instance of His Excellency, the Governor, who is leading the discussions,” he said.
The development signals a major political shift in Bauchi, as Governor Mohammed weighs his options amid growing realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
