The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, on Wednesday, met with the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, at the Government House in Bauchi, following the governor’s imminent defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The APC Chairman was accompanied to the Governor’s office by Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf.
The meeting was, however, held behind closed doors, with none of the parties speaking to newsmen about the outcome of the meeting.
Although sources at the Government House noted that the visit might be connected to efforts to persuade Mohammed to reconsider his reported move to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and instead align with the APC.
The development comes barely 24 hours after the governor, who chairs the PDP Governors’ Forum, hosted a delegation of the ADC led by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
Speaking after the Tuesday meeting, Mohammed attributed his planned defection to the lingering crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party, saying reconciliation efforts had failed.
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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 APC, but sadly, we discovered that we are not wanted there.”
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 APC, but sadly, we discovered that we are not wanted there.”
He added that although consultations were ongoing with several political platforms, the ADC had so far emerged as the most acceptable option.
“As of now, 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 said.
Mohammed also noted that his camp felt unwelcome in the APC, which influenced their preference for alternative parties.
