By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the Allied Peoples Movement.

Mohammed announced his defection on Saturday following a meeting with political stakeholders convened to deliberate on the implications of the Supreme Court’s judgment on the PDP leadership crisis and to determine a way forward.

Speaking after the meeting, the governor said he had spent the past eight days in Abuja engaging key stakeholders in efforts to resolve the party’s internal challenges.

He noted, however, that the apex court’s verdict, which nullified parallel conventions conducted by rival factions within the PDP, had significantly altered the political landscape.

According to him, the judgment effectively stripped both factions of legal standing, leaving the party’s Board of Trustees to temporarily oversee its affairs.

He added that subsequent developments had further deepened uncertainty within the party.

“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.

The governor expressed appreciation to the PDP for providing a platform for his political growth and service but stressed the need to move on in the interest of governance and political stability.

“However, as responsible leaders, we cannot allow our people to be left without a credible and effective political platform,” he stated.

Mohammed explained that his decision to join the APM was a strategic move aimed at ensuring political continuity and electoral success.

He described the party as a viable platform free from legal encumbrances.

He also disclosed that members of the State Executive Council interested in contesting elective offices had resigned in line with the law.

While appreciating the PDP for its role in his political journey, he said the decision to leave was driven by necessity.

“We remain PDP at heart. We are leaving not out of bitterness, but out of necessity—to continue the struggle for good governance,” the governor said.

Announcing his new political platform, Mohammed declared, “Consequently, after extensive consultations, we have taken a firm and strategic decision to join the Allied Peoples Movement.”

To ensure a smooth transition, the governor outlined measures including the establishment of a compliance committee, commencement of online membership registration, formal resignation of interested members, engagement with APM leadership, and the constitution of a committee to interface with the Independent National Electoral Commission.

He urged his supporters to remain calm and united, emphasising that the move was not borne out of uncertainty but a deliberate repositioning.

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the APM, Yusuf Dantalle, formally received the governor and his supporters into the party.

Dantalle described the APM as a “clean, democratic party” guided by the motto “Nigeria First,” with principles anchored on integrity, sacrifice, and service.

He commended Mohammed’s leadership style, describing Bauchi as a state where democratic values thrive and political participation is inclusive.

The APM chairman also highlighted the party’s performance in recent local government elections, noting that it secured councillorship victories and remained competitive alongside other parties.

He assured the defectors that the party has no internal crisis, stressing that it operates strictly in accordance with its constitution.

Dantalle subsequently presented the governor with his membership card and party insignia, symbolising his formal admission into the party.

He added that the party’s symbol, the cassava plant, represents resilience, inclusiveness, and economic value, reflecting its vision for national development.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Buba Galadima, Kwankwaso ally, announced Saturday that opposition figures Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso will reveal a new political platform on Monday, signaling a major realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking at an Obi-Kwankwaso Movement stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja, Galadima disclosed that the former governors of Anambra and Kano states are finalizing arrangements to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), a party reportedly linked to former Bayelsa Governor Senator Seriake Dickson.

“Both Obi, Kwankwaso and their chieftains were on ground between yesterday and this morning signing the relevant documents with Senator Dickson and the NDC leaders,” a source close to the opposition leaders confirmed on condition of anonymity.

The source added that the move aims to avoid past political missteps: “We don’t want a repeat of what happened in the ADC to occur again. We discovered late that Atiku and his loyalists lured our leaders to that opposition party to fulfil only one single mission — Atiku’s presidential ambition.”

Galadima warned supporters to prepare for coordinated attacks following the announcement, drawing an analogy to international conflict.

“As from Monday, when our leaders declare on which platform they will run, I want to tell you that one of two things will happen,” Galadima told journalists. “First, they will sponsor columnists. Two, they will deploy social media influencers to start attacking our candidates.”

He urged supporters to respond strategically: “Don’t call anybody any name until they call our leaders names. Then we will respond with the greatest might of intellect in us. These are people who are living in their comfort zones, and they want to start a war. We will help them add kerosene.”

The NNPP chieftain alleged that opposition leaders have faced sustained repression, claiming security agencies have maligned and detained them as part of an initial suppression phase. He argued a second phase involved systematically weakening opposition platforms, listing the SDP, PDP, ADC, NDP and PRP as having been “decimated.”

Isaac Fayose, brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, expressed support for the proposed alliance, stating: “I am not a politician and don’t need to join your political party. But let me say that O-K (Obi-Kwankwaso) is okay for me.”

The planned defection follows weeks of speculation over the political future of both opposition figures amid Supreme Court developments affecting opposition party structures.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Nigeria has been ranked 112th out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

This year’s ranking marks some improvement for the country which ranked 122th position in 2025.

Despite the improvement, Nigeria remains in the “difficult category” for press freedom based on the five indicators determining the economic, legal, security, political and social environments for journalism in the country.

“Nigeria is one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists, who are regularly monitored, attacked and arbitrarily arrested,” the report stated.

According to the report, around 30 journalists were assaulted, arrested and targeted with tear gas or gunfire while covering the social protests shaking the country in 2024 as electoral periods continue to bring significant violence against media professionals in the country.

It stated, “Crimes committed against journalists continue to go unpunished, even when the perpetrators are known or apprehended. There is almost no state mechanism for protection. In fact, the authorities keep investigative journalists under close surveillance and do not hesitate to threaten and arbitrarily detain them.”

The RSF expressed concerns over plummeting press freedom across the world, noting that “more than half the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press freedom.”

“In over half of the world’s countries and territories (52.2%), the state of press freedom is categorised as “difficult” or “very serious.” This category was a small minority (13.7%) in 2002.

“In 2002, 20% of the global population lived in a country where the state of press freedom was categorised as “good.” Twenty-five years later, less than 1% of the world’s population lives in a country that falls under this category,” it added.

The report stated that while Norway held the top spot for the tenth consecutive year, Eritrea came in last for the third year in a row.

It added that Post-Assad Syria had seen the biggest improvement in press freedom of all the countries and territories in the 2026 Index, climbing 36 places in the ranking.

Meanwhile, RSF editorial director Anne Bocandé warned that authoritarian states, incompetent political powers, predatory economic actors deepen globally decline in press freedom, urging governments around the world to support accountability journalism.

“Current protection mechanisms are not strong enough; international law is being undermined and impunity is rife. We need firm guarantees and meaningful sanctions. The ball is in the court of democracies and their citizens. It is up to them to stand in the way of those who seek to silence the press. The spread of authoritarianism isn’t inevitable,” Ms Bocandé said in the report.