The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has responded to recent remarks by Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, describing them as baseless and an attempt to shift blame for his own failures as Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum.
Governor Mohammed had, in a statement issued on Thursday, accused Wike of erratic behavior and opportunistic political alliances, labeling him an unreliable associate. However, Wike, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, dismissed the comments on Friday, urging Mohammed to focus on his responsibilities rather than using him as a scapegoat for the challenges facing the PDP Governors Forum.
Wike criticized Mohammed’s leadership style, asserting that the Bauchi governor lacked the capacity to unite and lead the PDP Governors Forum effectively. According to Wike, Mohammed assumed the chairmanship of the forum out of political ambition rather than merit, disregarding the convention that the position should alternate between northern and southern governors.
He added that Mohammed’s divisive tendencies had contributed to the disarray within the party, alleging that he had undermined the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) by aligning with one faction while neglecting the other.
Wike also revisited Mohammed’s political history, accusing him of inconsistency and opportunism. He pointed out that Mohammed abandoned his political mentor, former Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda, in 2007 after Yuguda married President Umaru Yar’Adua’s daughter and defected to the PDP. Wike noted that Mohammed later joined the PDP himself in 2010, only after securing a ministerial appointment under President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
“Governor Bala Mohammed has a track record of political treachery,” Wike remarked. “Even as the FCT Minister under the PDP, he failed to mobilize support for the party in Bauchi during the 2015 elections, a failure that is both embarrassing and unprecedented.”
Addressing Mohammed’s criticism of his current role in President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Wike defended his decision, highlighting that cross-party appointments are not new in Nigerian politics. He cited examples from past administrations, such as President Olusegun Obasanjo, who included members of opposition parties in his government.
“Governor Mohammed himself served as a minister in 2010 while still a member of the defunct ANPP, only defecting to the PDP after securing his position. So, his criticism of my role in the APC government under Tinubu is both hypocritical and unfounded,” Wike stated.
Wike further accused Mohammed of failing to carry out his duties as Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum. He questioned whether Mohammed’s alleged inefficiencies could be blamed on his own appointment as FCT Minister, stating, “If my serving in Tinubu’s government is the reason Bala Mohammed is failing, would he suddenly display competence if I were not a minister?”
The FCT Minister concluded his statement by urging Mohammed to focus on rebuilding the PDP rather than engaging in personal attacks. He expressed concern over the party’s current state, which he attributed to Mohammed’s leadership shortcomings.
