BY ZAINAB SULEIMAN OKINO
In 2023, Governor Bala Mohammed was presumed to be nursing presidential ambitions. Though still in his first term as governor of Bauchi state, it was nearly inconceivable that a first-term governor would throw his hat in the ring unless he was 100 percent certain. He couldn’t have been, because Tinubu almost had the APC ticket secured, and Mohammed was no match for Atiku in the PDP.
However, Mohammed’s declaration that he would not run if his former principal, Goodluck Jonathan, was in the race endeared him to many people who saw in him a rare quality of loyalty in a shark-infested political atmosphere like ours, where ambition overrides loyalty and cutthroat competition for power trumps all.
Fast forward to 2025, and his party, the PDP, is trying hard to recover from the intensive care unit it has been in since 2023, when Atiku emerged as the party’s flag bearer—an action that turned at least five governors against their party and deodorised internal rebellion, anti-party activities, and the absence of party discipline. This action exacerbated internal implosion from which the party has yet to recover.
At that time, Mohammed was a non-committal governor in the PDP’s warfare, seemingly sitting on the fence and consumed only with his own survival amid the APC’s onslaught, before he finally won his second-term election.
Now that this obstacle is over, the PDP is repositioning and shopping for a sellable candidate. The Bauchi governor is at the forefront of calls for zoning the presidency to the South, and Jonathan’s name is being touted again. And Atiku? He is almost out of the PDP game plan, and Mohammed’s true intention is gradually rearing its head—though I won’t say it’s an ugly head.
Therefore, the question is now germane: What is Governor Bala Mohammed up to? Is he genuine? Altruistic? A sellout? A thorn in Atiku’s flesh? A villain or hero? A believer in equitable distribution of power, or is he simply strategising to become a possible vice-presidential candidate for a southern candidate while deferring but calculatingly building his own political empire for a future not too far off?
He could be all of these and more. His recent outbursts after the PDP meeting, where zoning to the South was prioritised, and particularly his Channels interview, bared it all. While putting down the APC, he described them as engaging in “shenanigans” and therefore being beatable.
Mohammed said Governor Seyi Makinde can “match perfectly” and that he is ready to give way if necessary for the sake of teamwork. He referred to Goodluck Jonathan as the most celebrated politician, despite being politically blackmailed into submission by the opposition. He paid glowing tribute to the ex-president and other “men of integrity” that the PDP is considering.
Ever since Jonathan came up in the political discourse of the 2027 presidential election, there have been mixed opinions on whether he is legally qualified to run. Conceding that he is not a lawyer and might not be accurate in legal interpretation, Mohammed observed that the law cannot be applied retrospectively or retroactively to shut out the only man in the race with a “better pedigree” compared to others, even as he validated Peter Obi as a “friend and brother” who can be given an opportunity and a shot at the presidency through the PDP. He patted himself on the back as a mediator for his efforts at reconciling all warring groups in the party.
Bala Mohammed emphasised the need to navigate cautiously and intelligently and work toward “changing the trajectory of leadership.” The Bauchi state governor, serving his second term, observed the propriety of consensus, taking into consideration our diversity, in negotiating who becomes the president of the country, adding that the party’s mission is more important than personal ambitions. Thus, the governor seems to be working toward a predetermined answer.
And that answer is about him—his possible emergence as a vice-presidential candidate, despite his 2023 support for Atiku Abubakar and his role as chairman of the PDP governors’ forum. Yet, the governor assured that he had buried his presidential ambition to build a national consensus that would lead to the emergence of a Southern candidate. Well, if wishing to be a VP candidate is not ambition, I wonder what else is.
The implications of the governor’s stance, at least in the referenced interview, are nuanced and diverse. This is not about the North’s anger and discontent or betrayal. Notwithstanding the disenchantment with the policies of the Tinubu administration, the North cannot even speak with one voice to produce a consensus candidate it can push. Already, the ADC is gaining ground and the PDP seems to be rising again, so Northern votes will be shared among PDP, ADC, and ANPP, giving Tinubu a solid advantage in the APC in addition to his incumbency factor. Going into a race divided is a recipe for defeat.
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The emergence of ADC under Atiku’s radar after dumping the PDP, Wike’s grip as shown in the Rivers local government election last weekend, and ADC’s inability to snowball into the tsunami it was projected to be could prove Bala Mohammed’s prediction of PDP as a panacea right if well managed in coalition with ADC. If his calculation goes awry and PDP and ADC work at cross purposes, the North, Bala Mohammed, and the remnants of PDP opposed to Tinubu will perish together.
Therefore, whether Mohammed’s advocacy for a Southern candidate is based on altruistic reasons, equity and fairness, or whether he is angling to be VP, his sudden change of strategy—which some call capitulation—is indeed compounding and suggestive of more unfolding drama to come.
Zainab Suleiman Okino (FNGE) chairs the Blueprint Editorial Board. She is a syndicated columnist and can be reached via zainabokino@gmail.com
