According to him, the judgement effectively stripped the factions of legal backing, leaving the party’s Board of Trustees to temporarily manage its affairs.
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), citing the protracted leadership crisis rocking the opposition party.
Mohammed announced his defection on Saturday after a meeting with political stakeholders convened to assess the implications of the recent judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on the PDP’s internal dispute.
The governor said he had spent the past eight days in Abuja engaging party leaders in efforts to resolve the crisis but noted that the apex court’s ruling, which nullified parallel conventions conducted by rival factions, had worsened uncertainty within the party.
According to him, the judgement effectively stripped the factions of legal backing, leaving the party’s Board of Trustees to temporarily manage its affairs.
He said subsequent developments made it clear that attempts to stabilise the PDP had failed.
“After careful consideration and wide consultations with leaders and stakeholders across the country, it has become clear that our efforts to restore stability have not yielded the desired results,” he said.
Mohammed, however, expressed appreciation to the PDP for providing him a platform for political growth, noting that his decision to leave was driven by necessity rather than resentment.
“We remain PDP at heart. We are leaving not out of bitterness, but out of necessity to continue the struggle for good governance,” he added as quoted.
The governor described his move to the APM as a strategic decision aimed at ensuring political continuity and electoral viability, stressing that the party is free from the legal encumbrances affecting the PDP.
He also disclosed that members of the State Executive Council seeking elective positions had resigned in compliance with legal requirements.
Outlining steps for the transition, Mohammed said a compliance committee would be set up, online membership registration commenced, and engagement with APM leadership intensified, including plans to interface with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He urged his supporters to remain calm and united, insisting the defection was a deliberate political repositioning.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the APM, Yusuf Dantalle, formally received the governor and his supporters into the party, describing it as a democratic platform anchored on integrity, sacrifice and service.
Dantalle said the APM has no internal crisis and operates strictly in line with its constitution, adding that the party has recorded electoral gains, including councillorship victories in recent local government elections.
He subsequently presented Mohammed with his membership card and party insignia, symbolising his formal entry into the party, while stating that the party’s symbol, the cassava plant, reflects resilience and economic value.
The defection marks a major political shift in Bauchi State and adds to the growing uncertainty surrounding the PDP amid its unresolved leadership crisis.