Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), he announced on Saturday after a meeting with political stakeholders.
Mohammed said he spent the past eight days in Abuja consulting key party leaders in an effort to resolve the PDP’s internal crisis, but that a recent Supreme Court judgment had “significantly altered the political landscape.” The ruling nullified parallel conventions held by rival factions of the PDP and, he said, effectively stripped both factions of legal standing, leaving the party’s Board of Trustees to temporarily oversee affairs.
“After careful consideration and wide consultations with leaders and stakeholders across the country, it has become clear that our efforts to restore stability have not yielded the desired results,” the governor said. He thanked the PDP for providing a platform for his political growth but said the defection was driven by necessity to ensure “a credible and effective political platform” for governance.
Mohammed described the APM as a viable platform “free from legal encumbrances” and said the move was intended to ensure political continuity and electoral success. He said members of the State Executive Council who intend to contest elective offices have resigned in line with the law.
To manage the transition, the governor outlined several measures: the establishment of a compliance committee, the start of online membership registration, the formal resignation of interested members, engagement with APM leadership, and the constitution of a committee to interface with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He urged supporters to remain calm and united, saying the decision was a deliberate repositioning rather than a reaction to uncertainty.
APM National Chairman Yusuf Dantalle formally received Mohammed and his supporters into the party, praising the governor’s leadership and describing the APM as a “clean, democratic party” guided by the motto “Nigeria First.” Dantalle highlighted the party’s recent local government election performances and assured the defectors that the APM has no internal crisis and operates according to its constitution.
Dantalle presented Mohammed with his membership card and party insignia, noting that the party’s symbol, the cassava plant, represents resilience, inclusiveness and economic value.
