By Ehichioya Ezomon
“Finally, it must be placed on record that, in line with his inalienable right to freely associate in pursuit of a stable and prosperous polity, Governor Mohammed, like any citizen, reserves the right to determine his future political alignments. Should that time ever arise, such a decision will not be dictated by the dubious machinations of political turncoats who thrive on falsehood and malice.”
That’s the chilly, and not-so-cheering message from Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed on Wednesday, December 10, 2024, denying his alleged moves to defect from the once formidable governing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – whose governors’ forum (PGF) he chairs – to a fringe opposition Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
Reacting, Dr Mohammed, through his Special Adviser on Media, Muhktar Gidado, described as “baseless” the “rumours” that he’s considering changing camps to the PRP, whose publicity secretary in Bauchi claimed that the governor was planning to join the party, “to avoid the strife in the PDP,” but that Mohammed “is not welcome to join the PRP.”
“Ordinarily, such a baseless remark would have been dismissed as the ramblings of an attention-seeker desperate for relevance. However, experience has shown that silence in the face of falsehood can be misconstrued as acquiescence,” Mr Gidado said.
“The statement attributed to the PRP State Secretary is not only false but a figment of the author’s imagination. We state unequivocally that at no time has Governor Bala Mohammed contemplated leaving the PDP, let alone initiating any move to defect to another party or making overtures to the PRP in Bauchi State.
“On the contrary, it is common knowledge that Governor Mohammed has been at the forefront of rescuing the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from the contrived crises engineered by anti-democratic forces bent on turning Nigeria into a one-party dictatorship,” Gidado added.
Mohammed’s alleged plan is the latest in the mass defection from the PDP, a scenario that’s become routine, evoking in the polity a guesswork of who’s next to “jump from a sinking ship.” And his denial isn’t reassuring enough, what with Gidado’s caveat that, “the governor has the inalienable right to freely associate… and reserves the right to determine his future political alignments!”
The fact on the ground is that the PDP, which governed 31 States at the apogee of its 16-year reign (1999-2015), may come far short, than it ever had, on Election Day in February and March 2027.
In November and December 2025, the PDP lost three state Governors from different zones of Nigeria. They include Taraba Governor Agbu Kefas (North-East) to APC on November 15; Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke (South-West) to Accord Party (AP) on December 9; and Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara (South-South) to APC on December 9.
Reports indicate that Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang is on his way to the APC. Should that materialise, it’d make a complete swing and alignment of the six states of North Central with the party. More dramatic, though, is the switch in the six states of the South-South, which, before September 2024, had five states under PDP’s control.
In the September 21, 2024, off-cycle ballot, the APC regained Edo State via Governor Monday Okpebholo, while Governors Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Duoye Diri (Bayelsa), and Fubara (Rivers) decamped on April 23, June 6, November 2, and December 9, 2025, respectively, and joined the prior lone APC Governor Bassey Otu (Cross River).
After the 2023 General Election, the PDP had 13 States spread zonally, viz: Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Rivers (South-South); Enugu (South-East); Osun and Oyo (South-West); Plateau (North Central); Zamfara (North-West); and Adamawa, Bauchi and Taraba (North-East).
By Tuesday, December 9, 2025, the party had lost eight of the 13 States, seven to the APC, and one to Accord, as follows: Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Enugu (via Governor Peter Mbah, on October 14, 2025), Bayelsa, Taraba and Rivers to APC; and Osun to Accord. It’d have been a clean sweep for the APC if its stalwarts in Osun didn’t block Adeleke from defecting to the platform.
Other high-profile members that’ve exited the PDP include former Vice President and its presidential candidate in 2019 and 2023, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; his running mate in 2023 and former Delta Governor Ifeanyi Okowa; ex-Senate President David Mark; serving and former governors and federal and state lawmakers; and party chieftains across Nigeria.
As of this copy, the PDP’s two major factions with respective National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) and their officials. The same factional offices and officials exist in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city – all working at cross-purposes.
The PDP and its remnant leadership grandstand that there’s no crisis or division, but that the party remains more united and stronger to take over power from the APC and President Bola Tinubu in 2027, adding that minor issues shouldn’t warrant the exodus of members to the APC.
They allege that Tinubu, in his bid to turn Nigeria into a “one-party State” and make himself a “life President,” has resorted to intimidating and inducing opposition members to join the APC – a charge the president, who touts himself as “a democrat” – has refuted as untrue, and against the freedom of choice and association guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).
But defected governors and other chieftains have put a lie to the PDP leaders’ claims. Former Vice President Abubakar, in his letter of exit on Wednesday, July 14, 2025 – which letter was “leaked by rogue elements within the PDP and APC,” as alleged by Atiku’s media adviser, Chief Paul Ibe, without denying the content – said:
“I am writing to formally resign my membership from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with immediate effect… As a founding father of this esteemed Party, it is indeed heartbreaking for me to make this decision.
“However, I find it necessary to part ways due to the current trajectory the Party has taken, which I believe diverges from the foundational principles we stood for. It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognizing the irreconcilable differences that have emerged.”
On November 2 during a thanksgiving on the eve of his defection, and at the event on Monday, November 3, Senator Diri – who chaired the committee that zoned offices ahead of the PDP November 15 to 16, 2025, national convention in Oyo State’s capital city of Ibadan – stopped short of declaring the party dead.
He said: “I will not denigrate my former party. We were happy with it until some undertakers destroyed it. We tried to salvage it but to no avail. What was going on became incumbent on me to make a decision. Somebody had to take the decision and I took it on behalf of the state (Bayelsa). I never wanted my state to be buried with the PDP.”
On why he left the PDP, Senator Adeleke – who revealed that he joined the Accord on November 6, but made the defection public on December 9 – said, “I love PDP but things fell apart everyday.” The governor spoke on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ after formally announcing his decision.
Referring to the crisis in the PDP, Adeleke said: “I did all the best I could do, but I love my state, Osun State. Assuming you don’t need a platform to secure any nomination for you to be a candidate, it would have been a different case, but you need a platform and time is running out. I don’t know what would happen in the future (due to) all the court cases.
“I love PDP, I did my best, I tried, but everything seemed to be falling apart every day. As a reasonable person, I have to make a decision: where do I go from here? That’s why I go for Accord Party. I didnt abandon PDP. I love PDP, but I have to protect myself. I have to make sure I protect my state because of the good work we’ve been doing, so we can continue.”
In May 2025, Dr Eno, on his way out of the PDP, said: “I respect our party, the PDP. I love the PDP. But we all know the way things are. Whatever happens, wherever the journey of life takes me, I will always love you (PDP members). We’ve built strong friendships, and we will always keep them. But it’s time to progressively move.”
On his defection from the PDP, Sir Fubara, on inspection of road projects on December 10, said: “We can’t thrive in an atmosphere of rancour. Development can’t come to our state when there is continuous disunity. We are also aware that we are standing because of the support of Mr President.”
(Fubara apparently referred to the rancour between him and his predecessor and Minister of the FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike, who heads a faction of the PDP, resulting in Fubara’s suspension for six months when President Tinubu declared a state of emergency on Rivers in March 2025, thus saving Fubara from impeachment by the state lawmakers loyal to Wike).
Could these former PDP heavyweights, many among its founding fathers, be lying about the situation in the party, as its embattled leaders continue to portray? The coming days, weeks and months will bear witness to their claim that there’s nothing amiss to warrant the likes of Bala Mohammed to look elsewhere to anchor their political future!
* _Mr Ezomon, Journalist, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
