Politics

What I Told Aggrieved Govs – Bala Mohammed

Published

3 years ago

November 10, 2022

The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has said that he is highly connected to the aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party governors.

Mohammed, who said this on Wednesday when the aggrieved governors paid him a solidarity visit in Bauchi, said he shared his fears and worries with the governors during the visit.

The governor hosted his Rivers, Abia, Benue and Enugu state counterparts-Nyesom Wike, Okezie Ikpeazu, Samuel Ortom and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, was absent as he was said to be out of the country.

The governors arrived the Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport, Bauchi in four chartered aircrafts – 5N- BZS, 5N-RSG, 5N-AOO and 5N-IZY, and were driven straight to the Presidential Lodge also known as Ramat House.

During their meeting, Mohammed bared his mind on the developments in the state chapter of the party as well as the personal issues he had with the PDP flag bearer.

The PUNCH reliably gathered that the governors would meet in Enugu on Saturday where they would witness the inauguration of the state PDP campaign council.

Mohammed is expected to attend the Enugu meeting where he would formally join the group of aggrieved governors.

A senior aide to Governor Ortom confided in our correspondent that the sole purpose of the visit by the five governors was to lure Mohammed into their fold.

Addressing the media shortly before going into their meeting, the governors described themselves as the bedrock of the party, adding that they were open to reconciliation.

In response, Mohammed, who was full of appreciation to the governors for the visit, noted that he was with them but they “excommunicated” him.

He said, “I am supposed to be with them but they excommunicated me for reasons best known to them but I am highly connected to each and every one of them. There is hardly a day I don’t call or speak to one of them because in politics, you go with the people you share things in common with.

“This presidency (Presidential primaries) that we ran when my brother was defeated, who in turn defeated me, has brought us close and of course at the governors forum, we are very close. One thing I appreciate about them is that they look at your challenges. They are not going back for a second term but they are always worried about others.

“Their own particular ideas, principles may be slightly different from mine, but certainly, I feel their pains as much as they feel my own pains. We share so much in common.”

Continuing, the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory said the governors knew his challenges which he said include what he described as the treachery in the state chapter of the PDP.

Mohammed said: “They know I have challenges in Bauchi, the challenges of anti-party, the challenges of undercutting, treachery and mischief. But of course, politics is about all these. And when you know that you have people of this stature and calibre behind you, you feel fulfilled.

“I’m happy they are here and I’ll have the opportunity of confiding in people that I believe I can confide in, some of my worries, fears, apprehensions and that of my state.

“So, I’m happy that you came because some of those things may not be said on the telephone, but to say that as PDP members from the same family, I always see you as fellow comrades in this journey of life. I thank you most sincerely for taking the trouble to come.”

In a brief interview with journalists, Mohammed admitted that he wrote to the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyiorcha Ayu, to intimate him about the opposition to his second term ambition by some elements in the party.

He said that the letter was written by the PDP family in Bauchi state in order to express their displeasure about the way things were going on with him and the state at large.

Mohammed said that in response to the letter, the national headquarters of the PDP directed him to meet and discuss with the presidential flag bearer of the party, in order to find an amicable resolution to the problem.

The governor, however, did not disclose whether he reconciled with Atiku, adding that they discussed “extensively.”

Mohammed stated, “It is no longer news that I wrote a letter to the party on my position in Bauchi; what I have found out to be working against me as a leader and as a first term governor going for my second term.

“I wrote it with all honesty and sincerity and with a deep sense of humility and that was why the party invited me to go and discuss with the flag bearer of the PDP and leader, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and we discussed extensively and I have gotten some explanations.

“The letter I wrote was not only written by me, it was written by the PDP family in Bauchi and the government of Bauchi and that was why I was there and we discussed extensively.”

Asked if he had decided to team up with the Wike camp, the ex-FCT minister replied, “As for the G-5 Governors, I always joke with them that I am a G-1, but I am inexorably connected with them. We have always been together and you know it: governor Wike, governor Ortom, governor Ugwuanyi and governor Ikpeazu, have been here several times and I have been with them several times.

“I think these are some of the takeaways I have as a governor, having friends for life. So, I am everywhere, but of course, it doesn’t mean that I am nowhere.”
PUNCH

Politics

Worst Of PDP Defections Yet To Come – Saraki Warns

Published

2 hours ago

June 28, 2025

Editor

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Reconciliation Committee, and former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has warned that more defections from the party may still occur, even as efforts continue to reposition the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Saraki made this known during an interview on Arise TV on Friday.

He said: “PDP would likely see one or two more defections, and we should prepare ourselves for that; there is a possibility.

“We haven’t seen the worst of the defections for PDP. We would probably see maybe one or two governors who will defect, and we might see some senators who will defect.”

He, however, described the timing of the crisis as an advantage, arguing that it gives the PDP time to recover and rebuild before the election cycle begins in full swing.

“For some of us, this happening early in PDP is an advantage. We are lucky that this is not happening, let’s say, late 2026; we would not even have had time to recover and regroup,” he said.

“We have just under two years to the election, and we are lucky to have that. I think, with a lot of commitment and understanding, it is not a lost cause.

“A party with over 26 years of history that has been around, the largest party, we will definitely have low times like this.”

Despite the turbulence at the national level, Saraki said the PDP remains strong at the grassroots and across state structures.

He said: “When you go round the country, the state chapters, the local government chapters, the party is still very strong in the grassroots. In some areas in the country, they are not even aware of what is happening at our level, in Abuja.

“The reactions we are seeing at the grassroots give us a lot of encouragement. But what we need to do is to get to the bottom and start to build.”

He added that the party is already laying the groundwork for the 2027 elections but warned that the stakes go beyond just party survival.

“This is not just about resolving today’s issues. It’s about building for the future. The next convention must not be business as usual. We must bring in new, younger faces who represent the future of this party.

“If PDP fails, Nigeria edges closer to a one-party state. And that would be a disaster for democracy.”

Politics

CSO, PDP Bicker Over Fagbemi’s Stand On Osun LG Crisis

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

Editor

An Osun-based civil society group, The Osun Masterminds, has urged the State Government to respect the opinion of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, regarding the leadership crisis rocking local government areas in the state.

The group said Fagbemi, being the number one law officer of the federation, his opinions on issues relating to law are not just official, but are also binding.

This was disclosed by the Executive Director of the group, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, while speaking with journalists at the monthly media briefing of the organisation held in Osogbo on Friday.

Oyedokun-Alli, who said accused the state government of disregard for, not just the Appeal Court, but also the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, adding that the group has studied several legal positions on the Osun local government disputes and came to the conclusion that the government was swimming against the tide of clear court pronouncements.

“We are to point out, however, that the utter disregard for, not just the Appeal Court, but also the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, by the Osun State Government is a matter of grave concern. Where we understand that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, is the number one Law Officer of the Federation, we must realise that his opinions are not just official, they are also binding.

“We have studied several legal positions on this matter, especially from highly revered silks who have dissected the pronouncements of the Court, and one thing remains obvious – the Osun State Government is swimming against the tide of clear Court pronouncements.

“The question that begs answers, however, is why the Osun State Government is so unwilling to work with Local Government Chairmen elected under a different political platform. Where we respect the principles of separation of powers, should we not be willing to work together even if the political parties are not the same? Has the APC-led Federal Government refused to work with the Adeleke Government because it is of the PDP?”, Oyedokun-Alli said.

Calling on the stakeholders to prevail on the Osun State Government to end the LG crisis, Oyedokun-Alli, however, urged the residents, regardless of party affiliation, to cohabitate in peace.

Responding to issues raised by the group, the spokesperson for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, Oladele Bamiji, said TOM was a partisan organisation that has consistently supported the All Progressives Congress in the state.

Bamiji further said, “Their so-called ‘civil society’ posturing has long collapsed under the weight of its hypocrisy and shameless servitude to the dictates of APC in Osun and beyond, and it is sad they are dead to their dented image out there.

“TOM has again confirmed to the people of Osun that it is nothing but a busy body propaganda irritant of the APC, issuing monthly rankings, not out of civic concern but to earn its monthly stipend from its political sponsors.

“We find it laughable and frankly disturbing that any group claiming to possess civic literacy would hold binding the personal opinion of a political appointee like the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, over and above the ruling of a competent court of law.”
(PUNCH)

Politics

BREAKING: Confusion As APC Chair, Ganduje Resigns

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

Editor

National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has resigned from his position, Saturday Vanguard has learned.

Although the exact circumstances surrounding his resignation remain unclear as of press time, a senior party official confirmed the development, stating simply, “Yes, it is true. He has resigned.”

Sources revealed that Ganduje’s personal belongings were earlier moved from his office at the APC national secretariat, further fueling speculation.

The development has thrown the party’s headquarters into confusion, with staff and visitors visibly shocked by the unexpected news.