Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed has debunked reports that he was on the verge of quitting the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling party at the center, All Progressive Congress (APC).
Bala who was elected governor under the umbrella of the PDP denied the speculations in a statement issued on Friday in Bauchi by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on media to the governor, Mr Mukhtar Gidado.
The statement read in part, “In its front-page lead story of 20th November 2020, Thisday newspaper alleged that the Bauchi State Governor, Gov. Bala Mohammed was among three Governors, elected under the platform of PDP that are negotiating to join the ruling party, APC.
“We wish to state that the story is a disingenuous speculation driven by a clear marketing urge, to feed the appetites of readers whose hunger for salacious political news has been fueled by the movement of the Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, to the APC and the spate of political alignments and realignments in the country.
“We also wish to state that Gov. Bala Mohammed has never contemplated leaving the PDP, let alone joining the APC.
“Rather, he is presently preoccupied with fulfilling his campaign promises, on the basis of which the good people of Bauchi State-supported him, to defeat an incumbent administration.
“It is to the credit of the Bauchi political elite that, despite the division between the Legislature and the Executive in the State, each controlled by a different political party, they have constructed a novel bipartisan arrangement whereby the government of the State is jointly run, in the war against hunger, infrastructure deficit, the near-collapse of education and petty crimes.”
The statement stressed that the governor considers the rumours on defection as distractions given the most important need to achieve transformational change that would uplift the electorates from hardship to assured security of live and property as well as economic stability.
Gidado added, “Gov. Mohammed, therefore, asks his supporters, members of his political family and all the good people of Bauchi State to ignore the report as it has no substance whatsoever.