2027 Election: Governor Bala Mohammed Opens Up Amid Reports of Resigning from PDP to Join APC
- PDP governors forum chairman, Bala Mohammed, has denied rife reports of defection from PDP to the ruling APC
- The PDP faces an internal crisis, affecting its viability ahead of the critical 2027 general elections in Africa's most populous nation
- Court rulings challenged leadership legitimacy within the PDP, intensifying party disputes among heavyweights
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
Bauchi, Bauchi State - Ahead of the 2027 elections, Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi, has said that contrary to viral reports, he had not “moved” from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
As reported by Vanguard, Mohammed spoke at the Government House, Bauchi, on Wednesday, March 18, when questioned by newsmen after swearing in some newly appointed permanent secretaries in the state.
Source: Facebook
He said:
"They said that I had long defected. I have not moved."
Mohammed reportedly considers APC move
This Day recently reported that Mohammed would join the ruling APC this week.
The newspaper said the terms of the chairman of the PDP governors' forum's defection to the ruling party were still being negotiated.
It added that multiple sources privy to the negotiations disclosed that Mohammed was offered the APC senatorial ticket and would get all the allowances received by other governors who joined the ruling party.
Citing sources, the paper said the Bauchi State governor, in a meeting with President Bola Tinubu and the APC leadership, disclosed his intention to be part of the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.
One of the sources reportedly stated that his planned defection to the APC may not be unconnected with the travails of his commissioner for finance, Yakubu Adamu, who is 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 gathered that the ruling party handed stringent conditions to Mohammed, different from the agreements the ruling party reached with other governors.PDP crisis threatens 2027 survival.
PDP crisis threatens 2027 chances
The PDP, Nigeria’s former ruling party, has been engulfed in a deep factional crisis that could threaten its survival in the 2027 elections if reconciliation efforts fail.
The crisis has produced two main factions within the party, one aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and the other led by Kabiru Turaki (SAN), who insists his leadership emerged from the national convention and has since attempted to take control of the party’s national headquarters.
The leadership dispute was challenged in court. In January, a Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan nullified the PDP’s national convention, which produced Turaki as chairman.
Source: Twitter
In his ruling, Uche Agomoh held that the caretaker committee led by Abdulrahman Mohammed, with Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary, and backed by Wike, remained the only recognised National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP pending the conduct of a valid national convention.
The judge ruled that the Ibadan convention was held in flagrant disobedience of two subsisting court judgments and barred Turaki and other officials elected at the convention from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Turaki subsequently appealed the ruling. On Monday, March 9, 2026, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal upheld the Federal High Court’s decision on the PDP, invalidating the convention.
The appellate court also barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising the outcome of the convention, including the emergence of Turaki’s leadership of the party.
Turaki had also indicated interest in challenging the ruling at the Supreme Court.
Read more on Bala Mohammed:
- PDP crisis: Saraki, Bala Mohammed lead fresh committee
- "I won’t join APC": Bauchi governor Mohammed declares ahead of 2027, gives reasons
Bala Mohammed sacks influential commissioner
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Mohammed removed the commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Ibrahim Gambo Galadima, from office.
The development was confirmed in a short statement issued by the governor’s special adviser on media and publicity, Mukhtar Gidado, and made available to journalists.
According to the statement, the governor approved a minor reshuffle within the State Executive Council, which led to Galadima’s immediate removal.
Source: Legit.ng
