The All Progressives Congress is set to receive Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, into its fold tomorrow, Tuesday, in what sources describe as a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to multiple sources, the Governor has concluded plans to formally defect from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling APC at a ceremony expected to be witnessed by key actors of the party across the federation.
The decision follows a series of meetings with President Bola Tinubu and the APC leadership.
Sources close to the negotiations revealed that Mohammed’s political sojourn into the APC came at considerable personal cost, with conditions said to be less favourable than those extended to others who joined the party before him.
According to inside sources, the President insisted on handing over the structure of the APC in Bauchi State to the party leadership rather than any individual, citing the political sensitivity of the state, which borders many power centres and tendencies.
The only significant concession said to have been granted to the Governor is the party’s ticket to the Senate. He would not be allowed to nominate his successor as governor of the state, a privilege that has accompanied some previous defections.
While Mohammed was said to be pushing for a 60/40 power and structure sharing ratio, there were no clear indications as of press time whether he had successfully negotiated that through the APC National Chairman, Professor Newante Yilwatda.
By his eventual membership of the APC, Mohammed would increase the ranks of APC governors to 32, leaving the opposition PDP, Labour Party, APGA, and Accord parties with just one governor each. This development represents a significant strengthening of the ruling party’s dominance ahead of the next election cycle.
The defection comes amid deepening crises within the PDP, which has been embroiled in a protracted leadership struggle between factions loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and those backing the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee.
Meanwhile, ahead of proposed reconciliatory talks between the warring PDP factions scheduled for today, the Wike group has outlined what it describes as two non-negotiable conditions for any meaningful peace agreement.
According to a report by THISDAY, the National Publicity Secretary of the National Caretaker Committee loyal to Wike, Haruna said that their position on the forthcoming national convention is firm.
“We are open for reconciliation but we have conditions that are non-negotiable. And each group is expected to come to the negotiation table with their terms and conditions,” the spokesman said.
“Number one condition of our group to the reconciliation talks was that the March 29 national convention is not negotiable. It must hold. The congresses are ongoing in the local government areas and states.
“Number two condition is that the setting up of another national Caretaker Committee in whatever name should not be entertained because there is already one in place.”
He disclosed that each group to the meeting is expected to come with their written conditions to avoid any group being misquoted, adding that each delegation must be limited to ten members.
Commenting on the reconciliation efforts, Senator Samuel Anyanwu confirmed that plans are underway for talks between the two camps. He, however, maintained that no truce has been reached so far, stressing that ongoing discussions are aimed at softening the grounds to reach a quick resolution of the PDP crisis.
“We have been meeting but no truce yet,” Anyanwu said.
A chieftain of the PDP, Dr Adetokunbo Pearse, sought to downplay the significance of the party’s current challenges, insisting that the party remains a strong opposition platform despite the defections and internal disputes.
Pearse, who served on the 2023 Presidential Campaign Committee of Atiku Abubakar and is Convener of the Reset Lagos PDP group, maintained that the party remains relevant despite the internal disputes.
“What is happening to the PDP is not as disastrous as many people think. People in their minds are still with the party as the main opposition party,” Pearse said.
“PDP is still the biggest threat to the ruling party and that is why the troubles are many. The loss of some governors and lawmakers to the ruling party and other political parties does not show we are finished at all.”
In a related development, a founding member of the PDP, Sule Lamido, has called on party stakeholders to close ranks and rally behind the caretaker leadership structure associated with Nyesom Wike. The former governor warned that continued internal divisions could further weaken the opposition party.
Lamido made the appeal during a Ramadan Iftar with PDP leaders and stalwarts at his residence in Bamaina, Jigawa State, where he stressed the need for reconciliation and collective responsibility in stabilising the party.
The former governor said the PDP must prioritise unity and political survival rather than deepen internal rivalries that could diminish its relevance in Nigeria’s political landscape.
According to Lamido, the caretaker arrangement supported by Wike emerged out of necessity following the expiration of the tenure of the party’s National Working Committee. He described the FCT minister as a politically calculating figure who acted quickly to fill the leadership vacuum that threatened to paralyse the party.
“Wike is a very strategic politician. When the leadership tenure ended and a vacuum appeared, he moved swiftly to establish a caretaker committee. At that moment, it became the only functional structure available,” Lamido said.
“Some people may not agree with him politically, but that should not stop us from engaging him in the spirit of unity and brotherhood. The task before us now is reconciliation and rebuilding the party.”
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