The Bauchi State Governor, Mr. Bala Mohammed, has officially defected to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), alongside members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to the Tanimu Turaki-led executive.

Mr. Mohammed announced his defection at the Bauchi Government House on Saturday, flanked by the APM National Chairman, Mr. Yusuf Dantalle, as well as other party and government officials.

“After extensive consultation, we have taken a firm and strategic decision to join the Allied Peoples Movement (APM),” the 67-year-old governor told the gathering.

“This decision is guided by one overriding objective: to secure victory in both state and national elections, continue to serve our people with utmost integrity, effectively mobilise our supporters, and present a coherent and credible alternative to the people,” he said.

With the 2027 elections approaching, the governor stated that he “cannot allow our people to be left without a credible and effective political platform”, hence the move to the APM.

“Our duty is to provide energy and direction and, at the same time, ensure that the opportunity available to all of us is not diminished,” he added.

He expressed gratitude to the PDP, under whose platform he was elected governor in 2019 and re-elected in 2023, for the “important role it has played in our collective political journey”.

“It has been a platform through which we have contributed to the development of our state and our nation,” Mr. Mohammed said. “We remain grateful for this history and the opportunities provided.”

Mr. Dantalle later presented the governor with his APM membership card, along with the party’s flag and logo, which features a tuber of cassava.

“I welcome you into the party, and I will begin by giving you what qualifies you as a member: your membership card,” Mr. Dantalle said, while also presenting him with an APM-branded cap.

The development followed an expanded stakeholders’ meeting held behind closed doors. Until his defection, Mr. Mohammed served as Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum.

His exit brings to an end months of speculation over his political future amid the crisis within the opposition party.

Mr. Mohammed and his Oyo State counterpart, Mr. Seyi Makinde, were the only PDP governors remaining until Saturday’s defection.

In the weeks leading up to the move, the Bauchi governor held meetings with chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and officials of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over a possible defection.

However, those talks did not yield results, prompting the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory — who served from April 8, 2010, to May 2015 — to align with the APM.