Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has formally announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), marking a significant shift in the state’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The announcement was made on Saturday at the Government House in Bauchi, where the governor appeared alongside the APM National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, and other key political stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Mohammed said the decision followed extensive consultations with party loyalists and political allies.
“After extensive consultation, we have taken a firm and strategic decision to join the Allied Peoples Movement (APM),” he said.
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The governor explained that the move was driven by the need to secure electoral victory and provide a credible political platform for his supporters ahead of the 2027 polls.
“This is guided by one overriding objective: to secure victory in both states and continue to serve our people with utmost integrity, effectively mobilise our supporters and present a coherent and credible alternative to the people,” he added.
Mohammed stressed that remaining without a viable political platform was not an option, noting that leadership requires direction and strategic positioning.
“We cannot allow our people to run out without a credible and effective political platform,” he stated.
The governor, however, expressed appreciation to the PDP, under which he won the 2019 and 2023 gubernatorial elections.
“It has been a platform through which we have found and contributed to the development of our state and our peer nation,” he said.
Following the announcement, Dantalle formally received the governor into the party, presenting him with an APM membership card, party flag, and its symbol—a tuber of cassava.
“I welcome you into the party, and I will start by giving you what qualifies you to be a member of the party: your membership card,” Dantalle said.
The defection followed a closed-door expanded stakeholders’ meeting and effectively ends months of speculation surrounding Mohammed’s political future amid internal challenges within the PDP.
Until his exit, Mohammed served as Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and was among the last serving PDP governors alongside Seyi Makinde.
In the weeks preceding his defection, the Bauchi governor reportedly held consultations with stakeholders from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), though no agreement was reached.
Mohammed, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) who served between 2010 and 2015, ultimately aligned with the APM as part of a broader political recalibration ahead of the next electoral cycle.