Bala Mohammed Not Crossing to APC — PDP Ends Talks Over Failed 60–40 Power Deal

The Bauchi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that Governor Bala Mohammed will not defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), announcing the collapse of talks between both parties over an alleged political realignment.

The party also said discussions reportedly centred on a proposed 60–40 power-sharing arrangement were rejected, leading to the formal termination of all engagements.

Speaking at a press briefing held on Saturday at the PDP secretariat in Bauchi, the state chairman, Sama’ila Burga, said the APC initiated the discussions but failed to meet conditions put forward during negotiations.

According to him, the talks involved consultations around possible defections of the governor, PDP stakeholders, elected officials, and political office holders in the state.

Burga explained that Governor Mohammed engaged with APC leaders out of respect and in the spirit of political dialogue, but insisted that no agreement was reached.

“The initiative for these discussions came from the APC. His Excellency responded in good faith, in line with his commitment to inclusiveness and dialogue,” Burga said.

“However, after extensive consultations with stakeholders, it became clear that the conditions advanced for political realignment were not accepted by the APC. The process has therefore been discontinued.”

He added that the proposed 60–40 structure, which was expected to define control of party structures in the event of defection, was rejected by the APC.

“The 60–40 arrangement is not peculiar to Bauchi; it has been used in other political alignments across the country. But in this case, it was rejected,” he added.

Burga maintained that with the breakdown of talks, Governor Mohammed remains in the PDP, while other political options previously under consideration have also been shelved.

The development comes amid weeks of speculation following a series of meetings between the Bauchi governor and key APC figures, including a visit by the party’s national leadership to the state.