Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has shifted his stance and now acknowledges the leadership of Umar Damagum, the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This decision, made public on Tuesday night, comes amid rising pressure and internal disputes within the party.
Previously, a faction supportive of Governor Mohammed had sought a court injunction to prevent both the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission from canceling the scheduled National Executive Council meeting, set for Thursday.
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The legal action, spearheaded by Imam Auwal in the Zamfara High Court’s Gusau Judicial Division, aimed to challenge an earlier ruling from an Abuja Federal High Court that prohibited the PDP from ousting Damagum from his position.
However, during a key stakeholders’ meeting on Tuesday, the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Governor Mohammed, formally endorsed Damagum’s leadership.
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The meeting aimed to address tensions within the party’s National Working Committee and bring resolution to the ongoing crisis.
At the time of the meeting, only five out of the 13 PDP governors were in attendance, including Bala Mohammed himself, along with Ademola Adeleke of Osun, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, Siminalaye Fubara of Rivers, and Caleb Muftwan of Plateau.
This shift followed an announcement from the Reconciliation Committee, led by Olagunsoye Oyinlola, that it had successfully mediated internal conflicts among the National Working Committee members.
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The committee’s efforts were seen as a pivotal step towards unifying the party and strengthening its nation-building agenda.
In his opening remarks at the late Tuesday meeting with the Board of Trustees and former governors, Governor Mohammed underscored the importance of unity.
He stated, “This is a PDP meeting, not governors meeting. It is not a caucus meeting but a meeting of PDP stakeholders. It is a one-item agenda meeting. As you can see, we are all united today under the leadership of Umar Damagum, we are here to discuss germane issues.”
Reaffirming the party’s mission, he added, “We will resist any attempt to make Nigeria a one-party state. We will use our experiences since 1999 to provide Nigerians with an alternative platform.”
