The planned move by Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress has fallen through following disagreements over a proposed power sharing arrangement.
Talks involving the governor, his Turaki led PDP faction and the APC leadership ended without agreement after the ruling party reportedly turned down a proposed 60:40 formula for control of party structures in Bauchi State.
Despite the setback, the governor and his allies have indicated a willingness to explore alliances with other political parties, noting that consultations are ongoing to consider fresh options for a possible defection from ward to state level.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday, the chairman of the Turaki led PDP faction in the state, Sama’ila Burga, said the APC had shown it was not prepared to accommodate the PDP structure and the state government.
Burga explained that the APC initiated the talks through the governor, involving its national leadership and the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, who visited Bauchi in a bid to persuade Mohammed to join the party.
He noted that discussions eventually stalled after the APC declined to accept the 60:40 sharing formula, which he said had been applied in similar defections in other states.
“This is how it has been done in other places where governors defected to APC. They rejected this formula and we have closed that discussion. You cannot expect a government bringing its structure from ward level to the state not to have control of the party,” Burga said.
Burga added, “We have called for this press conference at the instance of His Excellency, the Governor, who is leading the discussions.”
He further stated that after wide consultations with stakeholders, the PDP faction decided to end the negotiations.
“After careful consideration, it became clear that the conditions collectively advanced for such a political realignment were not accepted by the APC leadership. In light of this, we want to announce that the discussions have not yielded a conclusive outcome and are hereby formally discontinued,” he said.
He added that the party is now weighing other political platforms.
“While we appreciate the outreach and engagement by the APC, we wish to state unequivocally that the process has now been brought to a close. Consequently, the PDP in Bauchi State, in consultation with His Excellency and other critical stakeholders, is actively considering all available political options other than the APC to determine the most suitable path forward in line with the aspirations and best interests of the people of Bauchi State,” he said.