Bauchi governor Bala Muhammad has been in the news in recent weeks following a possible defection move officially from the People’s Democatic Party (PDP) to any other party, especially between the All Progressive Congress and the African Democratic Party (ADC).
However, weeks after speculations that he was going to join the former, reports confirm that talks to join the party has fallen through after specific demands of ‘power’ sharing could not be met by both parties.
Sama’ila Burga, the head of the Turaki-led PDP faction in the state, told reporters in Bauchi on Saturday that this was the case.
Burga said that talks between the Bala Muhammad, his Turaki-led PDP faction, and the APC leadership ended in a deadlock because the ruling party reportedly turned down a 60/40 plan for how to run the party in Bauchi State.
“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.
“We have called for this press conference at the instance of His Excellency, the Governor, Gov. Bala Muhammad who is leading the discussions,” he said.
“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.
“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 added.
Will Bala Muhammad move to ADC?
While the camp is exploring other options, it remains to be seen whether the African Democratic Congress would be the stop for the governor. Recall that ENigeria Newspaper reported that the governor was absent when the ADC met with some party members of the People’s Democratic Party two weeks ago.
