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Bauchi gov, Mohammed declares Senate ambition, confirms talks with Obi, Kwankwaso
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Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has said he has consulted with other political parties and will announce his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) within a week.
The media had reported that the governor was weighing his exit from the PDP following lingering internal crisis that led to the nullification of the party’s Ibadan convention.
A delegation of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, had visited the Bauchi Government House at the instance of the party’s National Chairman, Senator David Mark, to persuade the governor to join the ADC.
After the meeting, Mohammed was said to have described the ADC as a preferred platform if he eventually decides to leave the PDP.
The governor later met with President Bola Tinubu and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, also led a delegation to Bauchi, in a bid to woo the governor.
However, talks between both sides later collapsed over disagreements on the sharing formula for control of the party structure, among other arrangements.
Speaking to journalists in Bauchi, Chairman of the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the PDP in the state, Samila Adamu Burga, accused the APC of being unwilling to accommodate the governor’s political structure.
In an interview with BBC Hausa days after the Supreme Court nullified the PDP’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, Mohammed said his camp had accepted the judgement in good faith.
He, however, disclosed that he would soon announce his defection to a platform he considers stable enough to participate in the forthcoming general elections.
“As democrats and committed PDP members who respect the rule of law, we accept the judgement as the will of Allah. It is neither a total defeat for us nor a complete victory for the other side. The efforts we made to defend the rights of our supporters and uphold democracy are clear. While our Ibadan convention was nullified, their leadership was also set aside.
“In line with the party’s constitution, the Board of Trustees will take charge of affairs pending the emergence of an interim leadership, since the court has invalidated the current structure,” he said.
The governor accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of fuelling the crisis in the PDP, alleging that his actions weakened the party from within.
“We find ourselves in a difficult situation. Nyesom Wike and many of his associates are with the APC. His presence in the PDP was aimed at frustrating the party, and to some extent, that has happened. At the same time, we ensured he did not take full control.
“Given the limited time, we have begun consultations with other political parties where our people can secure tickets and contest. We do not have the time to form an interim leadership and obtain INEC approval within a few days.
“The focus now is to identify a stable platform for our candidates to participate in the coming elections.”
He also alleged a plot to produce a sole presidential candidate in the country.
“It was a deliberate attempt for them to emerge as sole candidates and go into the election unchallenged. Even though our loyalty remains with the PDP, we have no option but to look elsewhere.
“With only a few days left, we are working to conclude discussions on where to move. The PDP leadership, including Tanimu Turaki, will remain to pursue the matter, while we give our supporters the opportunity to contest on other platforms. Within a week, we will make our position known in Bauchi,” he said.
Mohammed appealed to his supporters to remain calm, assuring aspirants that they would have the opportunity to contest in the forthcoming elections.
On his political ambition, the governor said he would not run for the presidency, noting that the party had zoned the position to the South, adding that he would instead contest the Bauchi South senatorial seat.
“I am not contesting for the presidency. At the party level, we agreed to zone it to the South out of fairness.
“However, based on calls from my people, I will contest the Bauchi South senatorial seat to continue representing them and support our candidates,” he said.
On possible alliances, he said consultations were ongoing with other opposition figures.
“We are in talks with Rabiu Kwankwaso and Peter Obi. There are calls for the opposition to unite under one platform, but that is not easy. Political realities differ across states and regions, as do the needs of the people,” he added.
A witness in the trial of former governor of Kaduna state, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai on the alleged wiretapping the telephone lines of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has admitted that El-Rufai confirmed the wiretapping remarks during a television interview.
The Department of security service (DSS) witness, Barrister Deji Adeyanju told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday that he appeared for an interview program on Arise Television Station on February 16, the same day El-Rufai made the confession on the same television.
Adeyanju, the second prosecution witness in the trial, told the Court that the former governor admitted during the television interview that “we listened to the conversations of the NSA.”
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Oluwole Aladedoye, Adeyanju confirmed that he knew El-Rufai as a former governor of Kaduna State and recalled issuing a public statement after reports emerged that the former governor was to be arrested by security operatives.
The prosecution tendered the subpoena used to summon Adeyanju, which was admitted and marked as Exhibit G.
The court also viewed the Arise Television interview involving El-Rufai, after which Adeyanju confirmed the recording and the statements allegedly made during the programme.
The prosecution subsequently tendered Adeyanju’s own interview contained in a flash drive alongside a certificate of compliance. Both were admitted in evidence as Exhibits H and H1.
While giving evidence, Adeyanju told the court that he was later invited by the Department of State Services, DSS, where he was asked to recount what transpired at the television studio.
According to him, he confirmed to investigators that he was present when El-Rufai made the statements on air and that when further questioned during the interview, the former governor stated that someone carried out the phone tapping and passed the information to him.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel, Paul Erokoro, Adeyanju stated that while he did not hear El-Rufai specifically say he hacked the phone lines of the National Security Adviser, NSA, he heard him say, “we listened to the conversations of the NSA.”
When asked whether he knew the means through which the NSA makes calls, and if he would be surprised to learn that DSS investigators did not ask the NSA which of his devices was allegedly compromised, he replied that those were not his business.
Meanwhile, the prosecution tendered an official gazette without objection from the defence. The document was admitted and marked as Exhibit I.
The matter was adjourned until June 23 for continuation of trial.
The DSS had filed a charge against El-Rufai over his alleged involvement in wiretapping the telephone lines of the NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
In the three-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026 was filed early before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the secret police accused the former governor of breaching the Cybercrimes Prohibition Act, (2024), and the Nigerian Communications Act (2003.)
Counts in the charge read:
*That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, on 13th February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, did admit during the interview that you and your cohorts unlawfully intercepted the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.
*That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, on 13t February, 2026, while appearing as a guest on Arise TV station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, did state during the interview that you know and relate with certain individual, who unlawfully intercepted the Phone Communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, without reporting the said individual to relevant Security agencies and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 27 (b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Amendment, Act, 2024.
*That you, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, adult, male, and other still at large, sometime in 2026, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, with others still at large did use technical equipment or systems which compromised public safety, national security and instilling reasonable apprehension of insecurity among Nigerians by unlawfully intercepting the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to which you admitted during an interview on 13th February, 2026, on Arise TV station’s Prime Time Programme in Abuja and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 131(2) Nigerian Communications Act 2003.
Former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, was at the Lagos office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, today in connection with an ongoing investigation into allegations of illegal diversion of about ₦1.3 trillion.
The EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, was not available for comments on the issue, but a source within the commission who did not want to be named told Channels Television that the former governor is being investigated for alleged diversion of 13 per cent derivation funds accrued to Delta State from the Federation Account between 2015 and 2023.
The former governor was previously arrested on November 4, 2024, and questioned by operatives of the EFCC at its Port Harcourt Zonal Directorate over the allegations.
He reportedly showed up at the Lagos office today, in a bid to secure the release of his passport to enable him to travel abroad for medical treatment.
As of the time of this report, it was unclear whether his request was granted by the anti-graft agency.
As the Malawian government moves to evacuate its citizens from South Africa following renewed xenophobic attacks, Nigerians caught in the unrest have expressed frustration over what they describe as a lack of support from their home country.
Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) in Gauteng, South Africa, Ikye Okwuakwu, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene and assist Nigerians affected by the crisis.
Speaking amid reports that thousands of foreign nationals have been displaced and are currently sheltering in temporary camps, Okwuakwu questioned Nigeria’s response to the situation.
“Malawi is taking its people home. What is Nigeria doing for its own citizens?” he asked.
He urged the Federal Government to take immediate steps to protect and support Nigerians stranded in South Africa, warning that many are facing uncertainty and hardship as tensions persist in affected communities.
The appeal comes as concerns continue to grow over the welfare and safety of foreign nationals impacted by the wave of xenophobic violence in parts of South Africa.
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