Less than twenty-four hours after his letter to the National Chairman of his party was reported in the media, Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed on Tuesday met with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, in Abuja, Nigeria‘s Federal Capital Territory.
The meeting held amid the Governor’s controversial letter to the National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, mulling withdrawing his support for Atiku’s 2023 presidential bid.
“Today, I led a delegation of Bauchi State stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Abuja on a courtesy visit to the PDP Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,” Mohammed said in a statement.
“Atiku Abubakar met with Bala Mohammed in Abuja on November 8, 2022.
“Key to our discussion were issues relating to the progress of our great party.”
At least five Governors of the PDP have withdrawn their support for Atiku Abubakar.
The Governor had made strong allegations against Atiku in a letter dated November 3, 2023 and addressed to the national chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu and signed by the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed.
The Governor protested that he was being victimised and isolated by the presidential candidate of the PDP since the party’s presidential primary, accusing the PDP flagbearer of backing “Bala Must Go” campaign against his reelection bid as Bauchi State Governor next year.
Governor Bala Mohammed had demanded that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar issued a public statement disowning those he described as “renegade elements who are neck-deep in the anti-party plot of subverting my re-election effort and to admonish members of our perty to reject the devious overtures and manipulative strategies of my detractors.”
The Bauchi State Governor had vowed that “Short of complete public repudiation of these incongruities within a reasonable time frame, coupled with explicit guarantees of sincerity of purpose and public support for my re-election by the presidential candidate, I may withdraw from the PCC and feel free to create new measures and strategies that will guarantee the election or re-election of all PDP candidates in Bauchi State and myself”.
