Day after Bala’s visit to Atiku, G-5 Governors storm Bauchi to fraternize with him
Mohammed Kaka Misau, Bauchi
Barely a day after visiting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Abuja, Governor Bala Mohammed has on Wednesday, hosted four among the G-5 Governors to a meeting at the Ramat House, Bauchi.
Speaking on behalf of the G-5 anti Atiku PDP Governors, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state explained that they were in Bauchi to fraternize with Bala Mohammed been a colleague and see how they can support him in his re-election bid.
Addressing the press after a closed-door meeting, PDP G-5 Governors that include Governor Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue); Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), said part of their aim was to make Bala see reason in identifying with them.
It can be recall that Bala Mohammed had recently written to the Chairman of his party PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, accusing Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of working with a group of politicians from the State to scuttle his 2023 re-election bid.
The Rivers Governor who said Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state is the leader of the group, tendered apologies over the inability of Governor of Oyo state, Seyi Makinde to attend the meeting because he traveled to the USA on Monday night.
“We are here to solidarize with our brother in Bauchi state, Sen Bala Mohammed who is running for a second tenure, to see how things are going, how he is faring and see in what areas we can come in to assist and support his aspiration”, he said.
“Everybody knows that I lost the presidential ticket of the party but I defeated Sen. Bala Mohammed, so we are here to fraternize with him and discuss issues of synergy and support”, Governor Wike added.
Responding, Governor Bala Mohammed while thanking the group for the visit, said he is still connected to them.
Governor Bala Mohammed expressed delight that the Governors were in the state to support his second term bid.
“Today, I am very, very happy to receive my brothers, the Governors of the G-5, they call themselves the Integrity Group. I am supposed to be with them but they ex-communicated me for some reasons best known to them, but I am highly connected with them”, he pointed out.
“Each and everyone of them, there is hardly a day I don’t call them, because, in politics, you go with the people with whom you share something in common”, Bala added.
“This presidency that we ran, which my brother (Wike) lost and he defeated me, has brought us very close and of course at the Governors Forum”, the Bauchi Governor further said.
The Governor praised the G-5 governors for showing concern with his challenges even though none of them is running for another term.
“Though all of them are not running for a second term, they are always worried, their own particular ideas may be slightly different from my own but expectedly I bear and feel their pains as much as they do in my own pains, we share so much in common”, he noted.
“Bala stressed that, “they know that I have challenges in Bauchi, challenges of anti-party, challenges of undercutting and mischief, of course, politics is about all these. But when you know that you have people behind you, of that stature, caliber, you feel secured because there is hardly anything we can do better than what we have done before”.
Bala while stating that he has done well for the people of Bauchi state maintained that his government has left legacies and landmark across the state.
“Now that they are here, I will have the opportunity of confiding to the people I believe I can confide in some of my worries, my fears and that of my state”, he said.
