Gov Bala Mohammed breaks silence after hosting Peter Obi in Bauchi, says he is now a “freelance politician”, don’t belong to any party

Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, declared himself a “freelance politician” in his comments during a visit by a leader of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi, and other stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone.

While giving an interview at the Government House Bauchi, where he hosted the chieftain of the ADC, the Governor stated that the purpose of the engagement was for national unity, dialogue, and cooperation amongst political and regional stakeholders and not for selfish gains or elections.

“We don’t belong to PDP, neither does the ADC party belong to anything. Now we are freelancers, and ADC itself has become one without its leaders; and now we look to the judiciary.

“We are all in the opposition, that is what I call politics. There are some things which we can’t disclose. The ‘I’ and ‘t’ which we have crossed in our discussions,” he said.

According to him, these interactions involve the possibility of re-alignments and cooperation in preparation for future elections.

“Without any doubt, without any platform, our work will not be effective. In the end, it is even our political situation today that may help bring us together and make it possible to win the election,” he concluded.

In his speech, Mohammed emphasized the symbolic nature of the visit of Obi and highlighted the efforts of the government to establish connections among different regions.

“Obi talks about the unity of the nation, building bridges, and creating a new tomorrow for our country. That’s our mission. As a state, we feel very honoured by this visit,” Mohammed said.

In his initial statement, Obi emphasized his mission to create harmony and cooperation among various parts of the country.

“My mission is to reach out to our stakeholders and seek cooperation in our effort to unite this country,” Obi said.

However, any talk of political defection was brushed aside, saying the interaction was not intended for party politics.

“This is not a case of inviting each other to join political parties; this is an invitation from us to make Nigeria better,” he stated.

Those present at the gathering included various representatives from the South-East zone, such as former governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa, and senators Enyinnaya Abaribe and Victor Umeh.

This move forms part of the continued political interactions held by Mohammed, who in recent times has engaged with representatives from different political parties like the African Democratic Congress and the All Progressives Congress.