Nobody Can Stop Bala Mohammed from Joining APC, Say Concerned Members 

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi 

A group of people within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in Bauchi State, Concerned APC members, has declared that nobody can stop Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, from joining the party if that is his wish and determination.

The group therefore extended warm and special invitation to the governor to immediately and without delay lead his teeming supporters in to the APC.

The development is coming on the heels of the planned defection of Mohammed from the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), continue to generate debates.

The group also called on all members of the party to accept him and his members as well as accord them the deserved embrace and acceptance.

Addressing journalists and other supporters at the NUJ Press Centre yesterday, leader of the group, Comrade Aliyu Abdullahi Ilelah, stated that, “We reaffirm our commitment to transparency, fairness, and genuine representation, and we encourage all stakeholders to work towards these principles rather than promoting rhetorics.”

He stated that the development was in response to the purported resolution of the Caucus of the APC, Bauchi State rejecting the defection of the governor to APC.

He stated that, “We invited you here in order to voice our response to certain resolution of the so-called APC caucus, Bauchi State by which they rejected the planned defection of His Excellency, Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State to All Progressives Congress.”

“While we respect the right of individuals to express their views, we find the claims made in that statement to be misleading, selective, and not reflective broader reality ground,” he added.

Ilelah stated that, “Firstly, the assertion that there is a unified position among stakeholders to reject the planned defection of Kauran Bauchi to APC is inaccurate. The APC remains a diverse platform with varying perspectives, and no single meeting or group can legitimately claim to speak for all members across the state; and looking at the composition of the meeting, anyone familiar with the APC stakeholders in Bauchi State can easily conclude that those in attendance were not up to half of the members of APC caucus in Bauchi State.”

According to him,”Notably, people like the former Governor of Bauchi State Barrister M.A. Abubakar (SAN), Rt. Honourable Yakubu Dogara, Professor Ali Pate, Yusuf Maitama Tugga, Mallam Ya’ u Darazo, Dr. Bala Maijama Wunti and Malam Nura Mami Saro, among others were all not in attendance.”

He further stated that,”Secondly, the narrative being pushed to the effect that the defection of Governor Bala Mohammed will lead to the defeat of the APC in the State appears to be driven more by personal or factional interests rather than the collective good of the party and the people.”

He stressed that,”At a time when citizens expect responsible leadership and constructive engagement, such statements risk creating urinecessary division and confusion. The party desires to have an all round victory at the 2027 elections and collapsing the structure of a sitting goverriment into the folk of APC is in our opinion one of the best strategy that can lead to the overall victory of president Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all APC candidates in the states in the 2027 General Elections.”

He also posited that,”Rather than focusing on rejecting the defection of Kauran Bauchi, stakeholders should have prioritise governance, service delivery, and policies that improve the lives of Bauchi citizens. Furthermore, they also claimed that, the admission of H.E. Bala muhammad at these juncture will be detrimental to the party in the state.”

He added that, “I can’t Imagine a Senator that failed woefully in discharging his legislative duty and running away from his constituents due to lack of any developmental project attracted to them in his wasteful years at the Upper Chamber, has moral ground to oppose the admission of workaholic Governor who delivered dividends of democracy to the downtrodden masses in our dear State to our great party (APC).”

According to him,”The said person, in his malicious statements pronouncing disunity if Governor Bala defect to APC, is among those that failed to address the contentious issue of party congress (APC State Secretary and Organising Secretary) if not for the urgent Intervention of the National Chairman, the party in Bauchi State would have collapsed and paralysed by now.”

“With dismay, I view the presence of our State Chairman, Muhammad Hassan Tilde, during the so called caucus press briefing as divisive and irrational, because, as a leader for all, he must be objective in his dealings in order to promote fairness and not be one-sided in his leadership approach,” he added.

He further stated that,”To our consternation, the very person that read the resolution in person of Senator Sama’ ila Dahuwa Kaila, was elected under the platform of the PDP as Senator representing Bauchi North and was before his election, a Commissioner of Health in Bala Mohammed’ s government. He was allowed to freely defect to APC and was accorded all rights and privileges of a member.”

He asked, “Why is he antagonistic to the decision of Bala Mohammed to also join the party? The laws of Nigeria guarantees the right of its citizens to associate freely and such right cannot be taken away from Senator Bala mohammed by reason that some of the APC caucus members didn’t accept him.”

He stressed, ”We therefore urged the public to treat the said press release with caution and not to be swayed by narratives that do not represent the true picture. We also call on all party members and leaders to engage in inclusive dialogue, uphold unity, and act in the best interest of the people.”