Punch Nigeria News: Wike PDP bloc fumes over Bauchi gov’s ADC defection plan
Published on: 04/01/2026
By Abdulrahman Zakariyau, Wale Akinselure, Umar Sani and Animasahun Salman
The Peoples Democratic Party, backed by the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has described the planned defection of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed to the African Democratic Congress as unfortunate.
The party noted that his demands for reconciliation within the party were unwieldy and difficult to accommodate.
The Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Working Committee, through its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, demanded in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH that the governor should resign as chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, alleging that his personal interests contributed to the party’s current crisis.
On Tuesday, after a meeting with a delegation of the ADC, led by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, at the Bauchi Government House, the governor announced the ADC as his preferred political platform after leaving the PDP.
Addressing journalists after a closed-door meeting, Mohammed attributed his planned move to the ongoing crisis within the PDP, stating that reconciliation efforts had not yielded the desired results.
He said, “We have found ourselves in a very serious situation. I have done everything possible to ensure reconciliation, but it has not worked.
“We set up committees at both the national and state levels to explore all options, including even the All Progressives Congress, but sadly, we discovered that we are not welcome there.”
Mohammed said that although talks were ongoing with various political platforms, the ADC had so far emerged as the most acceptable option.
“As of now, the ADC appears to be a very welcoming and acceptable platform. However, we have not concluded discussions. We are engaging stakeholders to ensure we do not make mistakes,” he added.
The governor also disclosed that a final decision on the defection would be made soon, with a formal announcement expected by Thursday.
“We are very conscious of the timeline. Everything will be concluded by Thursday so that we can move forward together. You will hear a firm commitment from us,” he said.
Mohammed also claimed that internal divisions within the PDP were being worsened by external forces, accusing Wike of playing a role in the crisis.
He stated that he had engaged key stakeholders, including leaders of the APC and President Bola Tinubu, in an effort to resolve the impasse, but the issue remained unresolved.
Earlier, Lawal explained that the ADC delegation was in Bauchi on the directive of the party’s national leadership, led by former Senate President David Mark, to invite the governor to join the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He added that the move formed part of a broader plan to unite opposition parties to offer an alternative leadership for the country.
According to him, “The task of rescuing Nigeria in 2027 requires the unity of all well-meaning Nigerians. We are here to engage Governor Bala Mohammed because of his leadership qualities and political experience.”
Lawal said he was optimistic that the ongoing consultations would produce positive outcomes, adding that the ADC was prepared to welcome the governor and his supporters.
He also noted that the party’s increasing support across the country would improve its prospects in the upcoming general elections.
Speaking on the planned defection, the PDP NWC noted that effective leadership required a balance between leading and following.
Its spokesman said rather than taking advantage of the opportunity for reconciliation, the Bauchi governor made unrealistic demands.
He continued, “If he chooses to go in this direction, we wish him well. It is unfortunate that he may not have fully taken advantage of the opportunities available to him.
“Leadership is not always about leading; there are times when one must also follow.
“Perhaps the proposals he presented to the party’s national leader and other stakeholders were difficult to accommodate, as he may have made demands that were too extensive.
“From my perspective as a party leader, I believe that some of these demands, including requests related to produce National Publicity Secretary, other NWC positions and control within the party structure in Bauchi, may not be feasible.
“That said, it is important to note that he should be respected in his position, and any decisions taken should be properly guided by party processes.
“He has played a role in the current challenges within the PDP. His personal interests, to some extent, have also influenced the party’s internal dynamics.
“We advise that he should have resigned from his position as chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum earlier, before subsequent developments, including his expulsion from the party,” Jungudo Mohammed said.
Efforts to reach the Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led National Working Committee, the PDP group to which the Bauchi governor belongs, were unsuccessful as the publicity secretary, Ini Ememobong, was not reachable at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, a former Secretary of the Kebbi State chapter of the PDP, Abubakar Kalgo, has alleged that the party had been “sold out” to the ruling APC, declaring that members of the state executive committee were set to resign en masse.
Kalgo, who formally announced his resignation on Monday, disclosed this in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, citing what he described as a betrayal of the PDP’s opposition role.
“I can assure you that after the convention, the state executive committee unanimously agreed to leave the party because we discovered that the party had already been sold,” he said.
Providing insight into the internal crisis, Kalgo explained that the Kebbi PDP executives initially boycotted a factional convention that produced Turaki due to a subsisting court order restraining the exercise.
He noted that they later participated in another convention associated with Wike, believing it was legally valid.
“We stayed away from the earlier convention because there was a court order. But when the one led by Wike came up, there was no legal restriction, so we participated in good faith,” Kalgo explained.
He said their confidence in the process was short-lived following Wike’s public endorsement of President Tinubu.
“We were shocked when Wike openly endorsed President Tinubu. Initially, we thought it was his personal position, but we later discovered that many of those elected at the convention shared the same alignment,” he added.
Kalgo stressed that the development was unacceptable for a party that was expected to provide credible opposition to the ruling government.
“As members of an opposition party, we cannot be working for or aligning with the ruling party. That defeats the whole essence of democracy,” he said.
He further revealed that the decision to quit the PDP was not personal but a collective resolution by the entire state leadership.
“All the party executives, from the chairman downward, are resigning. We have agreed to move together,” he stated.
The latest development underscores the deepening internal crisis within the PDP, Nigeria’s main opposition party, which has been grappling with leadership disputes, factional conventions, and high-profile defections across several states.
After almost three years of internal conflict, the PDP became divided into rival factions.
The governors’ bloc, backed by Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Mohammed, convened a convention in Ibadan on November 16, where Turaki (SAN) and others were elected into the NWC.
In response, the faction aligned with Wike established a caretaker committee led by Mohammed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
The Court of Appeal later upheld the High Court ruling that nullified the Ibadan convention, even as another panel called for reconciliation among the factions.
Despite initial efforts to resolve the crisis, disagreements persisted, prompting the party to approach the Supreme Court to halt a Wike-backed convention held on Sunday.
However, without any court directive, the Wike-backed group proceeded with its own convention, where Mohammed was elected National Chairman, Senator Samuel Anyanwu became National Secretary, and 17 others were selected as members of the National Working Committee.
Makinde’s aide blasts Fayose, Wike
The Special Adviser to Oyo State Governor on Federal Constituency Matters, Dare Adeleke, has slammed former Ekiti Governor Ayo Fayose over comments made at Saturday’s Abuja convention of the PDP.
Adeleke, in a statement made available to The PUNCH on Tuesday, described the Wike-backed Abuja convention as “fake” and legally questionable.
Recall that Fayose, at the convention, predicted Makinde’s expulsion from the party while hailing Wike as the true national leader of the PDP.
Fayose said, “Seyi Makinde will be expelled. Let him be reminded that my name is Ayo Fayose and I am saying this in public.
“This convention is open for the benefit of sincere PDP members, and this party has a leadership, and our national leader is Nyesom Wike, and we are all celebrating him and thanking God for his life.”
Adeleke, in Tuesday’s statement, described Fayose’s remarks as a “torrent of words” reflecting “how far the Nigerian political space has deteriorated.”
He accused Fayose of speaking with “reckless abandon” and dismissed the claim that Makinde had been suspended as “legally questionable and insulting.”
Adeleke criticised Fayose’s past attempts to dominate the PDP South-West, noting that Makinde’s record of “discipline, enterprise and credibility” stood in stark contrast to Fayose’s “political theatrics and personal instability.”
The aide accused Fayose of launching an “unprovoked tirade” against Makinde in a bid to assert credibility and relevance in the public space.
He said, “Fayose appears to believe that mere utterance transforms falsehood into fact. Emboldened by his alliance with Nyesom Wike, Fayose now speaks with reckless abandon.
“Their indulgence in power and privilege has clearly fostered the illusion that they are beyond consequence. But history is replete with examples of such hubris ending in disgrace. Their day of reckoning, however delayed, is inevitable.”
Makinde’s aide also slammed the Wike-Fayose faction for undermining democratic norms, noting ongoing legal challenges against the convention.
“With standing court orders and ongoing legal challenges surrounding the legitimacy of the fake Abuja convention, it is astonishing, though not surprising, that certain actors continue to push forward with actions that raise serious constitutional questions,” he said.
Adeleke further criticised the notion of “reconciliation” promoted by the convention, saying it demanded “the surrender of a party’s identity and principles.”
He added, “What logic dictates that a party should adopt its political opponent as its standard-bearer? That is not reconciliation; it is capitulation dressed in deception.”
Adeleke urged PDP members committed to party ideals to uphold leadership “grounded in discipline and vision” over opportunism and noise.
“Governor Makinde has demonstrated that steadiness in the face of provocation is not weakness, but strength. In the end, political theatrics fade. Institutions endure. And those who mistake temporary influence for lasting relevance often learn, too late, that history is neither kind nor forgetful,” he said.
The party noted that his demands for reconciliation within the party were unwieldy and difficult to accommodate.
The Abdulrahman Mohammed-led National Working Committee, through its National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, demanded in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH that the governor should resign as chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, alleging that his personal interests contributed to the party’s current crisis.
On Tuesday, after a meeting with a delegation of the ADC, led by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, at the Bauchi Government House, the governor announced the ADC as his preferred political platform after leaving the PDP.
Addressing journalists after a closed-door meeting, Mohammed attributed his planned move to the ongoing crisis within the PDP, stating that reconciliation efforts had not yielded the desired results.
He said, “We have found ourselves in a very serious situation. I have done everything possible to ensure reconciliation, but it has not worked.
“We set up committees at both the national and state levels to explore all options, including even the All Progressives Congress, but sadly, we discovered that we are not welcome there.”
Mohammed said that although talks were ongoing with various political platforms, the ADC had so far emerged as the most acceptable option.
“As of now, the ADC appears to be a very welcoming and acceptable platform. However, we have not concluded discussions. We are engaging stakeholders to ensure we do not make mistakes,” he added.
The governor also disclosed that a final decision on the defection would be made soon, with a formal announcement expected by Thursday.
“We are very conscious of the timeline. Everything will be concluded by Thursday so that we can move forward together. You will hear a firm commitment from us,” he said.
Mohammed also claimed that internal divisions within the PDP were being worsened by external forces, accusing Wike of playing a role in the crisis.
He stated that he had engaged key stakeholders, including leaders of the APC and President Bola Tinubu, in an effort to resolve the impasse, but the issue remained unresolved.
Earlier, Lawal explained that the ADC delegation was in Bauchi on the directive of the party’s national leadership, led by former Senate President David Mark, to invite the governor to join the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He added that the move formed part of a broader plan to unite opposition parties to offer an alternative leadership for the country.
According to him, “The task of rescuing Nigeria in 2027 requires the unity of all well-meaning Nigerians. We are here to engage Governor Bala Mohammed because of his leadership qualities and political experience.”
Lawal said he was optimistic that the ongoing consultations would produce positive outcomes, adding that the ADC was prepared to welcome the governor and his supporters.
He also noted that the party’s increasing support across the country would improve its prospects in the upcoming general elections.
Speaking on the planned defection, the PDP NWC noted that effective leadership required a balance between leading and following.
Its spokesman said rather than taking advantage of the opportunity for reconciliation, the Bauchi governor made unrealistic demands.
He continued, “If he chooses to go in this direction, we wish him well. It is unfortunate that he may not have fully taken advantage of the opportunities available to him.
“Leadership is not always about leading; there are times when one must also follow.
“Perhaps the proposals he presented to the party’s national leader and other stakeholders were difficult to accommodate, as he may have made demands that were too extensive.
“From my perspective as a party leader, I believe that some of these demands, including requests related to produce National Publicity Secretary, other NWC positions and control within the party structure in Bauchi, may not be feasible.
“That said, it is important to note that he should be respected in his position, and any decisions taken should be properly guided by party processes.
“He has played a role in the current challenges within the PDP. His personal interests, to some extent, have also influenced the party’s internal dynamics.
“We advise that he should have resigned from his position as chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum earlier, before subsequent developments, including his expulsion from the party,” Jungudo Mohammed said.
Efforts to reach the Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led National Working Committee, the PDP group to which the Bauchi governor belongs, were unsuccessful as the publicity secretary, Ini Ememobong, was not reachable at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, a former Secretary of the Kebbi State chapter of the PDP, Abubakar Kalgo, has alleged that the party had been “sold out” to the ruling APC, declaring that members of the state executive committee were set to resign en masse.
Kalgo, who formally announced his resignation on Monday, disclosed this in an interview with Channels Television on Tuesday, citing what he described as a betrayal of the PDP’s opposition role.
“I can assure you that after the convention, the state executive committee unanimously agreed to leave the party because we discovered that the party had already been sold,” he said.
Providing insight into the internal crisis, Kalgo explained that the Kebbi PDP executives initially boycotted a factional convention that produced Turaki due to a subsisting court order restraining the exercise.
He noted that they later participated in another convention associated with Wike, believing it was legally valid.
“We stayed away from the earlier convention because there was a court order. But when the one led by Wike came up, there was no legal restriction, so we participated in good faith,” Kalgo explained.
He said their confidence in the process was short-lived following Wike’s public endorsement of President Tinubu.
“We were shocked when Wike openly endorsed President Tinubu. Initially, we thought it was his personal position, but we later discovered that many of those elected at the convention shared the same alignment,” he added.
Kalgo stressed that the development was unacceptable for a party that was expected to provide credible opposition to the ruling government.
“As members of an opposition party, we cannot be working for or aligning with the ruling party. That defeats the whole essence of democracy,” he said.
He further revealed that the decision to quit the PDP was not personal but a collective resolution by the entire state leadership.
“All the party executives, from the chairman downward, are resigning. We have agreed to move together,” he stated.
The latest development underscores the deepening internal crisis within the PDP, Nigeria’s main opposition party, which has been grappling with leadership disputes, factional conventions, and high-profile defections across several states.
After almost three years of internal conflict, the PDP became divided into rival factions.
The governors’ bloc, backed by Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Mohammed, convened a convention in Ibadan on November 16, where Turaki (SAN) and others were elected into the NWC.
In response, the faction aligned with Wike established a caretaker committee led by Mohammed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
The Court of Appeal later upheld the High Court ruling that nullified the Ibadan convention, even as another panel called for reconciliation among the factions.
Despite initial efforts to resolve the crisis, disagreements persisted, prompting the party to approach the Supreme Court to halt a Wike-backed convention held on Sunday.
However, without any court directive, the Wike-backed group proceeded with its own convention, where Mohammed was elected National Chairman, Senator Samuel Anyanwu became National Secretary, and 17 others were selected as members of the National Working Committee.
Makinde’s aide blasts Fayose, Wike
The Special Adviser to Oyo State Governor on Federal Constituency Matters, Dare Adeleke, has slammed former Ekiti Governor Ayo Fayose over comments made at Saturday’s Abuja convention of the PDP.
Adeleke, in a statement made available to The PUNCH on Tuesday, described the Wike-backed Abuja convention as “fake” and legally questionable.
Recall that Fayose, at the convention, predicted Makinde’s expulsion from the party while hailing Wike as the true national leader of the PDP.
Fayose said, “Seyi Makinde will be expelled. Let him be reminded that my name is Ayo Fayose and I am saying this in public.
“This convention is open for the benefit of sincere PDP members, and this party has a leadership, and our national leader is Nyesom Wike, and we are all celebrating him and thanking God for his life.”
Adeleke, in Tuesday’s statement, described Fayose’s remarks as a “torrent of words” reflecting “how far the Nigerian political space has deteriorated.”
He accused Fayose of speaking with “reckless abandon” and dismissed the claim that Makinde had been suspended as “legally questionable and insulting.”
Adeleke criticised Fayose’s past attempts to dominate the PDP South-West, noting that Makinde’s record of “discipline, enterprise and credibility” stood in stark contrast to Fayose’s “political theatrics and personal instability.”
The aide accused Fayose of launching an “unprovoked tirade” against Makinde in a bid to assert credibility and relevance in the public space.
He said, “Fayose appears to believe that mere utterance transforms falsehood into fact. Emboldened by his alliance with Nyesom Wike, Fayose now speaks with reckless abandon.
“Their indulgence in power and privilege has clearly fostered the illusion that they are beyond consequence. But history is replete with examples of such hubris ending in disgrace. Their day of reckoning, however delayed, is inevitable.”
Makinde’s aide also slammed the Wike-Fayose faction for undermining democratic norms, noting ongoing legal challenges against the convention.
“With standing court orders and ongoing legal challenges surrounding the legitimacy of the fake Abuja convention, it is astonishing, though not surprising, that certain actors continue to push forward with actions that raise serious constitutional questions,” he said.
Adeleke further criticised the notion of “reconciliation” promoted by the convention, saying it demanded “the surrender of a party’s identity and principles.”
He added, “What logic dictates that a party should adopt its political opponent as its standard-bearer? That is not reconciliation; it is capitulation dressed in deception.”
Adeleke urged PDP members committed to party ideals to uphold leadership “grounded in discipline and vision” over opportunism and noise.
“Governor Makinde has demonstrated that steadiness in the face of provocation is not weakness, but strength. In the end, political theatrics fade. Institutions endure. And those who mistake temporary influence for lasting relevance often learn, too late, that history is neither kind nor forgetful,” he said.