Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has called off his planned defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after the two sides failed to agree on a power-sharing arrangement.
The collapse of talks was announced on Saturday by Sama’ila Burga, chairman of the Turaki-led PDP faction in the state, who said the APC rejected a 60-40 formula that would have given the governor’s camp majority control of the party structure in Bauchi.
Burga told journalists the APC had initiated the discussions through the governor, with involvement from the party’s national leadership and Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, who visited Bauchi to persuade Mohammed to defect.
He explained that the proposed formula mirrored arrangements accepted in other states where governors had switched to the APC. “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,” Burga said.
“You cannot expect a government bringing its structure from ward level to the state not to have control of the party.”
The PDP faction leader stressed that the decision to discontinue talks was taken after wide consultations with stakeholders. “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 declared.
Burga added that the governor’s camp remained open to other political options. “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.
The development comes ahead of the 2027 general elections and leaves Mohammed, one of the few remaining PDP governors, still within the opposition party for now.
No immediate reaction was available from the APC national leadership or the Bauchi State chapter of the party. Political observers say the failed negotiations highlight the tough bargaining that often accompanies high-profile defections in Nigeria.
