Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, on Thursday described himself as a “freelance politician” amid the lingering crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mohammed made the remark in Bauchi after a closed-door meeting with former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, at the Government House, where both leaders held talks seen as part of ongoing consultations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Neither PDP nor ADC is standing alone. I am a freelance politician now, and his party is also in limbo.
”We are looking up to the judiciary. But certainly, we are all in the opposition,” Mohammed said.
He noted that discussions focused on political realignment and cooperation among opposition figures, although he declined to disclose specific details.
“That is why I said it is a political discussion, and I will not let you know what we discussed in terms of the Is and Ts that we have crossed.
”But certainly, it is about realignment, alignment, and cooperation so that we can have a platform. We cannot go without a platform,” he added.
Peter Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023 and is now associated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), led a delegation of South-East political stakeholders to the meeting.
The delegation included prominent figures such as Ben Obi, Achike Udenwa, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Victor Umeh, and Udenta Udenta.
Speaking after the meeting, Obi said the visit was aimed at strengthening national unity and building cross-regional cooperation.
“My purpose is to solicit the support and cooperation of His Excellency and the stakeholders of Bauchi and the North-East in our quest to unite this country.
”We want to have a united country to build a future for our children.
“The country cannot continue the way it is today; we are headed in the wrong direction, and we need to reverse that for everybody.
”That is the simple purpose of why we are here—to seek the support of the stakeholders of Bauchi in building a new Nigeria that will be of benefit to all,” he said.
Both leaders confirmed that their discussions centred on forging stronger collaboration among opposition forces as political alignments begin to take shape ahead of the next general elections.
The meeting marks another in a series of engagements between the two politicians, following a similar visit in 2025, as uncertainty persists within both the PDP and ADC over ongoing legal disputes awaiting resolution by the courts.
