Adamawa State Governor, Umaru Fintiri, announced this at the end of a closed-door meeting of the governors, held at the office of the Bauchi State Governor on Saturday.

the PDP governors, the National Working Committee members, and stakeholders gathered at the Banquet Hall of the Bauchi State Government House for a retreat for elected officials.

Immediately after the opening ceremony of the retreat was held, they went into closed-door meetings of the various caucuses of the party.

Making the announcement, Fintiri said that Mohammed is replacing the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, adding that Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, was elected Vice Chairman of the forum.

He said the Bauchi State governor was elected based on his competence and capability to steer the forum to greater heights.

In response, the new chairman of the PDP governor’s forum promised to work hand in hand with colleagues for the development of the party.

Mohammed, who said his emergence was a mark of honour to him and the entire people of Bauchi State, urged his colleagues to support him to move the forum and the PDP forward.

Some of the dignitaries present at the retreat are Governors of Adamawa – Umaru Fintiri; Bayelsa – Duoye Diri; Bauchi – Bala Mohammed; Delta – Sheriff Oborevwori; Osun – Ademola Adeleke; Oyo – Seyi Makinde; Rivers – Siminalayi Fubara; Plateau – Caleb Mutfwang; Taraba – Agbu Kefas; Zamafara – Dauda Dare and Edo – Godwin Obaseki (was represented by his deputy, Philip Shuaibu).

Others are the Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar; the National Working Committee of the party led by the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum; the Chairman, Board of Trustees, Adolphus Wabara; former PDP National Chairman, Ahmed Makarfi; former Board of Trustees Chairman, Walid Jibril; former Niger State, Babangida Aliyu; former Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwal; Kogi State Governorship Candidate, Dino Melaye.

Also, serving senators and House of Representatives and Senators and House of Representatives-elect; the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria who’s also the Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman; among others were all in attendance.

Mohammed, who was in Akwa to woo members of the Anambra State PDP ahead of the party’s primary, submitted that Igbo were everywhere across the country and owned “over half of the country,” therefore, IPOB’s self-determination call was unrealistic.

According to him, the entrepreneurial drive and enterprise in the South-East is a great potential that must be leveraged for Nigeria’s industrialisation.

The Bauchi governor said, “When I was Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the Igbo capital investment in Abuja was over 50 per cent. That is the true position; not only in Abuja but also in Kano, Lagos, Kaduna and other states. So, we are interrelated and connected as a people in Nigeria.

We need to stabilise that symbiosis that binds us together. When the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, is talking about self-determination and self-actualisation, for where? When you own over half of the country? God may not give you everything, He has given something to you. That is the truth.

“Because of this, I am calling for this unity and fraternity among us. If the Igbo youth understand this, they will now know the need for peace and unity in the country.”

Mohammed said if elected as President in 2023 he would work to bring out the best in every part of the country.

He said, “I’m coming to bring equity and justice to this country where everybody would be recognised, where leadership recruitment will be fair and just so that all sections of the country will have a sense of belonging. We will do it, I have benefited from this kind of justice and it is the only way out of Nigeria’s problems.”

While urging the Anambra PDP members to support him at the party’s primary, Mohammed said he was aware that one of their own was also in the presidential race but they should consider his own competence.

According him, North-East and South-East are suffering the same fate as the only zones that have not produced the President.

“I know that your son is coming out for the Presidency; if he emerges I will support him but if I emerge, I will go with all of you. We must not allow this country to collapse because if it collapses we will all suffer and blames ourselves.

My work as a minister, senator and others has exposed  me to the problem of the country and I have gathered better experience to lead this great country to united Nigeria  where there will be  justice and fairness and every person is respected as a citizen.

“I supported that every Nigerian should be respected where he goes. I am not unaware of the feelings of South, especially the South-East on zoning, but let us look at the issues in context. The South-East and the North-East are suffering the same; the North-East has not been there just like the South-East.We cannot produce President alone, we have to do it,   persuasively. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am standing here before you, offering myself to serve and return Nigeria to greater height and greatness. With you, we will rebuild and re-launch this country so that we can regain our national pride.If you are voting as a delegate, vote wisely. If you have a better person, vote him or her. If I am not the best, don’t vote for me. But I know I am the best.I have the experience and capacity to lead this country to greater glory, but if at the primary I am not elected I will support whosever that emerges so that Nigeria can get out of the mess.”

Mohammed who is the governor of Bauchi State also condemned the constant borrowings by the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), since he took over the leadership of the country in 2015.

The governor decried the situation of the country while speaking with Nasarawa State PDP delegates in Lafia on Tuesday to seek their support for his presidential ambition.

He said, “Insecurity and poverty are everywhere and nobody cares. We are taking loans every day. Our federal, state and local governments may soon collapse because the money that we are generating from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is being used to service depts.

The road from Abuja to Kano is costing N750 billion. That is over-bloated by the corrupt regime of this administration. These monies can construct all the roads in Northern Nigeria.”

The PDP presidential aspirant said he had great leadership skills to reposition the country if elected into office in 2023 but emphasised that he would obey the party’s decision if the position is zoned to a particular part of the country.

“I am running for President in 2023 because I have so much knowledge of the economy and how to tackle insecurity. I am ready to lead Nigeria to greatness and I know that I have the pedigree, antecedents, and experience to make our country great.

Some of these ideas are what I have been using to build peace in Bauchi State. That is why we do not have any problems there.

“If I am elected as President in 2023, apart from other great innovations that I will implement to improve our economy, I will redefine our security architecture and ensure that we have a good recruitment process where every portion of the country will be well represented so that our teeming youths will have equal opportunities to get government jobs.

“But if our great party, the PDP says it is zoning the Presidency to a particular place or person through consensus, I will accept. However, I appeal that we should create a level playing field for everybody. What we need is unity, love, justice and equity”, Mohammed said.

Chairman of PDP in the state, Francis Orogu, who spoke on behalf of the delegates, said they were yet to adopt an aspirant they would vote for in the forthcoming presidential primary election but assured that they would support an aspirant who would develop all sectors of the country when elected into office.

Speaking in Gamawa LGA of the state during the distribution of empowerment items to youths and women under the Kaura Economic Empowerment Programme (KEEP), Bala said Abiola empowered several people across the board without considering religion, language and origin of those that benefited from the gestures.

The Governor said “Our launching of this empowerment programme today is historic and passionate; we remember today is democracy day and we decided to do it on this day.  This is because Chief Moshood Abiola, who we are celebrating, empowered several people. He did that across the board without considering the religion, language and origin of those that benefited from the gestures. Abiola will remain in our memory as the most acceptable democrat or politician in Nigeria. We all voted for him and that is why myself, my deputy and the government decided to honour him this day by coming to Gamawa and Zaki to empower the people.”

The Special Adviser, Media & Publicity to the Governor, Mukhtar Gidado, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, June 9, said the dissolution affected other political appointees including the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and the Chief of Staff (COS)

He pointed out that the Special Adviser Security, Special Adviser National and State Assembly Liaison and Special Adviser Social Investment, are not affected by the dissolution.

According to the Governor, all Commissioners are to hand over the affairs of their Ministries to their respective Permanent Secretaries.

Read the full statement below:

His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State Sen. Bala A. Mohammed CON (Kauran Bauchi) has approved with immediate effect the dissolution of members of the State Executive Council and other political appointees that include, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), the Chief of Staff (COS) Government House and all Special Advisers, except the following:-

1. Special Adviser Security;
2. Special Adviser National and State Assembly Liaison;

iii. Special Adviser Social Investment;

1. Special Adviser Media and Publicity.

All Commissioners are to handover the affairs of their Ministries to their respective Permanent Secretaries, while the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), the Chief of Staff (COS) Government House and other affected Special Advisers are to handover to the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Government House who is equally directed to take inventory of government property.

His Excellency, Governor Bala Mohammed while thanking the affected political appointees for their meritorious service to the State, wished them the very best in their future endeavours.

Mr Mohammed, who was the index case of COVID-19 in Bauchi, told journalists last week that amongst the medications that he used in treating the deadly virus were Chloroquine, Zithromax, and Vitamin C.

Asked if he was worried by the backlash trailing his pronouncement on the treatment of COVID-19, Mr Mohammed said he owed no apology on what he said.

He said “Pertaining to what I said last week that I was misquoted, I was a COVID-19 patient. And I have been asked, how did I get cured? And I said how I got cured and I recommended what should be done. It was my own recommendation and not that of the state committee. I have no apology for saying that I used Chloroquine, Zithromax, and Vitamin-C to get treatment and Allah cured me. To me, it’s better you take something, rather than sit down and die. We have not recorded any death in Bauchi… That one that died came after the test. And you can see we have plenty of patients. And by the grace of God, Allah will heal our patients. Other countries are using other forms of medication. It is not an issue of Chloroquine alone. It is a common knowledge that COVID-19 has no vaccine or drugs; we are just groping in the dark. But still, if you have symptoms of fever you can take chloroquine. If you have the symptom of infection you can still take Zithromax and get well; if you have symptoms of pains you can still take panadol and get well; you don’t even need a doctor for that. But the doctors are the ones prescribing this. I didn’t take the Chloroquine on my own, and I am not recommending that people should go and use this without the recommendations of their case managers. All I was relieving was my experience.”

Recall that the governor announced via Twitter in March that he had tested positive for the virus and would be going into isolation.

Giving an update on Twitter this evening, the Governor wrote “Alhamdulillah. I just received the green light. My second test for #COVID19 returned negative. I thank you all for your prayers & support even while I was in isolation. Most importantly, all the praises & thanks be to Allah – the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.”

The statement revealed that the governor and Atiku’s son met on an Aero Contractor flight.

Read the statement below

The governor gave the indication when he received a comprehensive report of the state’s asset recovery committee constituted on 12 July, 2019 and mandated to investigate assets allegedly diverted between 2007 and 2019 at the council Chamber, Government House Bauchi.

Governor Bala who insists that government officials must remain accountable, vowed to recover and ensure prosecution of the ex-governors and their officials that were indicted by the committee. He said the state’s attorney general and some members of the committee will partner and study the recommendations of the asset recovery committee for full prosecution of those indicted.

While submitting the recommendations of the recovery committee, the chairman, Retired General Markus Koko Yake, claimed the committee discovered various scandals and diversion of government properties from 19 Ministries, Department and Agencies between 2007 and 2019 when Yuguda and Mr Abubaka served as governors of the state. According to Yake, one of the former governors, Abubakar sold a property adjacent Wikki Hotel Bauchi to himself without following due process.

General Yake added that the asset committee discovered 16 plots of land in Kaduna which amounts to N1.5 billion naira allegedly diverted by the past administrations.