BAUCHI State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has defected from the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) following the Supreme Court judgment on the PDP leadership crisis.
Mohammed, who was the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, announced his defection on Saturday, May 2, after a stakeholders meeting convened to review the implications of the court’s ruling and determine a way forward.
The development leaves Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, as the only remaining PDP governor, marking a significant shift in the party’s political strength.
The Bauchi governor said he had spent the past eight days in Abuja consulting with key stakeholders in efforts to resolve the crisis but noted that the situation worsened after the apex court nullified parallel conventions conducted by rival factions within the party.
According to him, the judgment stripped both factions of legal standing, leaving the party’s Board of Trustees to temporarily oversee its affairs, a development he said had deepened uncertainty.
“After careful consideration and wide consultations with leaders and stakeholders across the country, it has become clear that our efforts to restore stability have not yielded the desired results,” he said.
While appreciating the PDP for providing a platform for his political rise, Mohammed said the decision to leave became necessary to ensure continuity in governance.
“However, as responsible leaders, we cannot allow our people to be left without a credible and effective political platform,” he added.
He described his move to the APM as strategic, noting that the party offered a viable platform free from legal encumbrances.
“We remain PDP at heart. We are leaving not out of bitterness, but out of necessity – to continue the struggle for good governance,” the governor said.
Announcing his new political platform, he declared, “Consequently, after extensive consultations, we have taken a firm and strategic decision to join the Allied Peoples Movement.”
Mohammed also disclosed that members of the State Executive Council seeking elective offices had resigned in line with the law.
He outlined measures to ensure a smooth transition, including the establishment of a compliance committee, commencement of membership registration, engagement with APM leadership, and the constitution of a team to interface with the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He urged his supporters to remain calm and united, describing the move as a deliberate political repositioning.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the APM, Yusuf Dantalle, formally received the governor and his supporters, describing the party as a “clean, democratic party” guided by the motto “Nigeria First.”
The ICIR reported that there appeared to be no end in sight to the crises rocking the PDP as it joins its contemporaries to prepare for the 2027 elections.
The conflicts took another turn on Thursday, April 30, shortly after the Supreme Court nullified the Ibadan Convention of a faction of the party, backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and other stalwarts, in November 2025.
The convention produced the Kabiru Turaki-led National Working Committee of the faction.
In its ruling, the court lampooned the faction and voided the convention over what it described as deliberate disobedience of subsisting court orders.
Consequently, the Turaki-led group’s Board of Trustees announced its readiness to assume the party’s leadership.
However, the rival faction belonging to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike said the apex court’s ruling simply affirmed its control of the PDP.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.