Gov Bala Mohammed Has Assured Us He Isn’t Defecting – Turaki-led PDP

By Chibuzo Ukaibe and Khalid Idris Doya, Bauchi

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, has said the Bauchi State governor and chairman of the party’s governor’s forum, assured them yesterday that he isn’t defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Reports had emerged on Sunday that Mohammed was finalising talks to dump the PDP for the ruling APC.

Recall that PDP had lost 10 governors to the APC within one year, the last of which was Zamfara State governor Dauda Lawal who defected last week after the Appeal Court voided last year’s national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, which produced the Turaki-led national leadership.

The court verdict has prompted reconciliation talks between the Turaki-led leadership backed by the PDP governors and the National caretaker committee backed by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

However, speaking to LEADERSHIP yesterday, the National Publicity  Secretary of the Turaki-led PDP, Comrade Ini Ememobong, who dismissed the defection story surrounding the Bauchi governor, said he assured the party leadership yesterday that he wasn’t defecting.

Ememobong said, “What we know is that he has told us he is still with us. Even up till this morning (yesterday) when he had conversations with our national chairman, he insisted he is still with us. He has said it in several quarters that he is comfortable in the party so we don’t know where the rumours are coming from. Only time will tell. But what we know is that he has told us that he is with us.”

On the proposed reconciliation talks within the party over the crisis, Ememobong said discussions were ongoing among stakeholders and would be guided by agreed strategies.

He said “To facilitate decisions  on which the reconciliation committee is working on, it has been agreed that they should keep their work an  internal issue and not escalate it.

“You know that in every negotiation, information is strategic, it can consolidate or endanger the reconciliation. So whatever they will do they have their terms of reference sufficient enough to guide them.”

Meanwhile, a faction of PDP in Bauchi State loyal to Wike, has conducted a state congress and elected a new executive committee, where Hon. Ibrahim Kassim Toro, emerged as the state party chairman.

The development was announced in a statement on Sunday by Hon. Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, the outgoing Chairman of the Bauchi State PDP Caretaker Committee.

He said the congress was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to Jungudo, the congress was held last Saturday, with party stakeholders adopting a consensus process to elect the new state leadership.

“Yesterday, (Saturday) March 14, 2026, I attended the State Congress of the Peoples Democratic Party in Bauchi State where party stakeholders and candidates adopted and agreed a consensus process to elect the new executive of our party at the state level,” he said.

He expressed appreciation to the people of Bauchi State and the national leadership of the party for the opportunity to serve as caretaker chairman in the state.

“I use this opportunity to thank the people of Bauchi State and our national party for the opportunity given to me as Chairman of the Bauchi State PDP Caretaker Committee, whose tenure ended yesterday after the election of the new chairman,” he added.

Haruna also commended officials of INEC and security agencies for monitoring the exercise.

He congratulated the newly elected leaders and urged them to promote unity, peace and development within the party.

According to him, the congress produced Hon. Ibrahim Kassim Toro as state chairman, while Barrister Bashir Tahir Misau was elected deputy chairman.

Other members of the new executive committee include Engineer Nazif Sabo Likita Jama’are (Secretary); Hon. Muktar Abdullahi Milo Udubo (Vice Chairman North); Hon. Abdullahi Hassan Ningi (Vice Chairman Central); Abdullahi Muhammad Barau (Vice Chairman South); Hon. Umar Abdulkadir Sarki (Organising Secretary).

The rest are Hon. Godfrey Mannasseh Marti (Publicity Secretary); Isa Umar Kakara Zaki (Treasurer); Zulaihat D. Mallam (Women Leader); Haruna Yakubu Jagaban Dass (Auditor); Hamza Abubakar Giade (Financial Secretary); Hon. Abdullahi Abdulkareem Mai Kare (Youth Leader); and Barrister Yahaya A. Garkuwa (Legal Adviser).

The development highlights the deepening crisis within the PDP in Bauchi State. A separate faction aligned with Governor Bala Mohammed currently recognised Sama’ila Adamu Burga as the state chairman, effectively leaving the party with two parallel leadership structures in the state.