Bauchi APC caucus blocks Governor Bala Mohammed’s defection as defection crisis deepens

The Bauchi APC caucus blocks Governor Bala Mohammed’s defection, citing his past criticisms of President Tinubu and a failure to consult state stakeholders.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 8, 2026, 3:57 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Politics Nigeria.

A Firm Rejection from the Bauchi APC Base

The political landscape in Bauchi State reached a stalemate on Tuesday night as the state’s APC caucus formally opposed the entry of Governor Bala Mohammed. Led by Senator Sama’ila Dahuwa, the caucus held an emergency meeting in Abuja to address reports of high-level negotiations between the governor and national APC figures. The caucus issued a statement "unequivocally" rejecting the defection, arguing that Mohammed's admission would be a strategic error that would damage the party's credibility and internal stability.

The Shadow of the "Strait of Hormuz" and National Criticism

The primary driver for the rejection appears to be the governor’s vocal history as an opposition figure. Senator Dahuwa pointed out that Mohammed has frequently been critical of the APC-led federal government and President Bola Tinubu personally. The caucus noted that the governor has made no attempt to reconcile with the state chapter or issue a public retraction of his previous statements. This lack of a "peace pipe" has led local leaders to view his potential defection as a marriage of convenience rather than a genuine ideological shift.

Top-Down Negotiations vs. Local Structures

The caucus also expressed significant frustration over the lack of internal democracy. Recent visits to the Bauchi Government House by high-ranking APC officials, including National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, were conducted without consulting the state-level stakeholders. The Bauchi caucus warned that sidelining established party structures to accommodate a defecting governor sets a dangerous precedent and violates the party’s core principles of inclusion and due process.