Politics
I Am Not A Coward, I Will Not Join APC: Bala Mohammed’s Defiant Stand Against Political Persecution and the Weaponisation of State Power in Nigeria
I Am Not A Coward, I Will Not Join APC: Bala Mohammed’s Defiant Stand Against Political Persecution and the Weaponisation of State Power in Nigeria.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com
“Governor Bala Mohammed Rejects Coercion, Affirms Loyalty to PDP and Exposes Dangerous Trends Undermining Democratic Pluralism in Nigeria.”
In a political environment increasingly defined by coercion, defections and the alarming weaponisation of state institutions, Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of Bauchi State has issued a defiant and historic statement that resonates far beyond his state borders: “ _I’m not a coward. I will not join them. I refuse to join their party_.” This declaration, made on January 2, 2026, is not just a personal pledge of political fidelity, but it is a clarion call for democratic integrity and resistance to authoritarian drift in Nigeria’s political landscape.
Bala Mohammed, a seasoned politician with decades of public service as a senator, former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister and three-term Governor of Bauchi State committed under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), spoke with unwavering confidence as he received an award as Safety Ambassador from the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria. His remarks came against the backdrop of allegations that federal agencies, most notably the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have launched investigations and court actions he alleges are politically motivated and designed to intimidate him into abandoning his party.
An Unapologetic Stand Against Political Intimidation. Governor Mohammed’s posture is rooted in both principle and history. Having navigated multiple national positions (most notably as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory from 2010 to 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan) Bala Mohammed is no stranger to the ebb and flow of Nigerian politics. Despite this experience, what he faces today is a distinct and troubling pattern: opposition leaders being singled out by powerful federal agencies in ways that blur the lines between legitimate law enforcement and political vendetta.
In his address in Bauchi, he pointed out that even with constitutional immunity as a sitting governor, his name (and that of his commissioner) was referenced in court matters with serious charges including terrorism financing, conspiracy and money laundering. He described these actions as part of an effort to criminalise him and coerce him into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
This, he warned, is beyond mere political rivalry. It represents the weaponisation of state institutions, transforming bodies designed to uphold justice into instruments of political suppression. “The APC-led federal government thinks they can use the courts and institutions of government to persecute Nigerians who are not within their own party,” he said.
Why This Matters: Democratic Principles at Stake. At the heart of Governor Mohammed’s stance is a fundamental democratic principle: a politician should not be forced to change party allegiance under duress. In a healthy democracy, political competition should be decided in the marketplace of ideas and votes not through judicial pressure or law enforcement harassment.
Political scholar Robert Dahl once observed that “Democracy requires not only free and fair elections but also the freedom for opposition to campaign without fear of reprisal.” If this principle erodes, the very essence of pluralism is jeopardised. Bala Mohammed’s words underscore the urgency of this truth in Nigeria’s context.
Moreover, political analyst Professor Claude Ake of Nigerian political thought emphasised that “Democracy is not merely electoral competition; it is about the rules (and respect for those rules) that allow such competition.” When state institutions appear to serve one party’s ends, the legitimacy of Nigeria’s democratic order is tested. Bala Mohammed’s charge challenges Nigerians to ask whether their political institutions serve citizens equally or whether they have become tools for partisan advantage.
Allegations of Federal Abdication of Responsibility. Governor Mohammed did not limit himself to critiquing political pressure tactics. He also lambasted what he described as a failure of the federal government to deliver tangible development to Bauchi State, despite commanding a significant share of national resources. “In my state, they have not provided one kilometre of road. They have not provided water. Even security agencies (I am the one paying them to work for us) and they have the guts to talk,” he lamented.
This accusation strikes at two core issues plaguing Nigeria’s federal system: resource control imbalances and the insufficient delivery of basic infrastructure and security. Many governors, especially in opposition states, have long argued that federal allocation disparities weaken subnational governments and create dependency that can be exploited politically.
The governor further criticised the current tax regime, warning that policies implemented without adequate consideration of grassroots realities risk deepening poverty rather than alleviating it. This echoes concerns of economists like Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who have warned that fiscal policies must be balanced with economic growth and citizens’ welfare to avoid crippling the productive capacities of subnational units.
Resistance, Not Retreat. Perhaps the most compelling dimension of Governor Mohammed’s speech was his rejection of silence in the face of what he describes as political intimidation. He affirmed that peace and security do not require submission to coercion. “IF THEY WANT WAR, WE WILL GIVE THEM WAR. IF THEY WANT PEACE, WE WILL GIVE THEM PEACE,” he declared an underscoring and a commitment to resist victimisation while upholding order.
This posture (resolute yet rooted in democratic engagement) is reminiscent of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to “stand up for justice, even if it means standing alone.” Bala Mohammed’s insistence on accountability, transparency and continued cooperation with the federal government for national development separates principled opposition from antagonistic defiance.
The Broader Political Context. Governor Mohammed’s remarks arrive amid a broader wave of political defection in Nigeria. In 2025, several governors and political figures left the PDP for the APC, driven by various motives and some ideological, others pragmatic. Yet Bala Mohammed has firmly resisted such trends. Two months before his recent stand, he reassured party faithful that he was not defecting and remained committed to the PDP’s vision, even as other governors departed.
His position also underscores a larger debate within Nigeria’s opposition ranks: how to rebuild a viable political alternative capable of challenging the APC’s dominance and presenting credible governance propositions for the 2027 general elections. As he declared earlier in 2025, defections would not sink the PDP and the party could reclaim political space with strategic leadership and grassroots engagement.
Final Take: A Defining Moment for Nigerian Democracy. Governor Bala Mohammed’s statement (“I AM NOT A COWARD. I WILL NOT JOIN APC”) is far more than a personal declaration. It is a reaffirmation of democratic choice, political courage and resistance to the misuse of power. In a climate where political coercion can easily be mischaracterised as loyalty shifts, his defiance becomes an emblem of democratic resilience.
For Nigeria to deepen its democratic culture, leaders across the spectrum must respect institutional neutrality and allow political competition to be resolved through public engagement, policy debates, and the will of the electorate, not through intimidation or judicial warfare.
As political theorist Samuel P. Huntington once remarked, “The essence of democracy is competition between alternatives.” Bala Mohammed’s bold stance exemplifies this essence and challenges all Nigerians (politicians and citizens alike) to hold fast to the ideals of free political choice, accountability and constitutional governance.
Lagos Assembly Debunks Abuja House Rumour, Warns Against Election Season Propaganda
The Lagos State House of Assembly has described as misleading and mischievous the widespread misinformation that it budgeted for the purchase of houses in Abuja for its members in the 2026 Appropriation Law.
This rebuttal is contained in a statement jointly signed by Hon. Stephen Ogundipe, Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy, and Security, and Hon. Sa’ad Olumoh, Chairman, House Committee on Economic Planning and Budget.
Describing the report as a deliberate and disturbing falsehood being peddled by patently ignorant people, the statement reads, “There is no provision whatsoever in the 2026 Budget for the purchase of houses in Abuja or anywhere else for members of the Lagos State House of Assembly. The report is a complete fabrication and a product of political mischief intended to misinform the public.
“The Lagos State House of Assembly does not operate in Abuja. Our constitutional responsibilities, constituencies, and legislative duties are entirely within Lagos State. It is, therefore, illogical, irrational, and irresponsible for anyone to suggest that legislators would appropriate public funds for personal housing outside their jurisdiction.”
The statement emphasised that the budget is already in the public domain and accessible for scrutiny by discerning Lagosians and Nigerians alike. It reiterated that the Lagos State Government operates a transparent budget that speaks to the needs of the people and the demands of a megalopolis.
“We view this rumour as part of a wider attempt at election-season propaganda, designed to erode public trust, sow discord, and malign democratic institutions.”
The chairmen further clarified that the 2026 capital expenditure of the House of Assembly is less than 0.04% of the total CAPEX of the state, which clearly demonstrates the culture of prudence, accountability, and fiscal responsibility that guides the legislature. However, they noted, “Historically, the House does not even access up to its approved budget in many fiscal years.”
They stressed that the Assembly remains fully committed to excellence, transparency, good governance, and the collective welfare of the people of Lagos State, in line with the objectives of the 2026 Budget of Shared Prosperity.
“We therefore challenge those behind this harebrained allegation to produce credible evidence or retract their statements forthwith. Failure to do so may attract appropriate legal actions.
“We urge Lagosians and the general public to disregard this baseless rumour and always verify information from official and credible sources.”
Politics
Democracy in the Crosshairs: How Nigeria’s Ruling APC Weaponises Power and Silences Dissent
Democracy in the Crosshairs: How Nigeria’s Ruling APC Weaponises Power and Silences Dissent.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com
“Tinubu’s Government, the EFCC and the Strategic Undermining of Opposition Governors”.
In a striking indictment of Nigeria’s current political reality, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State declared that “you cannot speak truth to power in this dispensation”, directly accusing the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of intolerance for dissent and an erosion of democratic norms.
Makinde’s remarks (made during a public event in Ibadan on January 25, 2026) were more than a local governor’s lament. They crystallised a mounting national frustration: that Nigeria’s political landscape has tilted dangerously toward executive overreach, institutional capture and political engineering.
This narrative is not isolated. Across Nigeria, governors from opposition parties have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in numbers unprecedented in the nation’s democratic history. Critics argue that these defections are not merely voluntary political choices, but part of a strategic pressure campaign leveraging federal power and institutions to fracture opposition influence.
At its centre lies Nigeria’s principal anti-graft agency – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC: Anti-Graft Agency or Political Instrument? Founded to combat corruption, the EFCC’s constitutional mandate is to investigate and prosecute financial and economic crimes across public and private sectors. Its legal independence is enshrined in statute and it has historically pursued high-profile cases, including recovery of nearly $500 million in illicit assets in a single year, demonstrating its capacity for tackling corruption.
However, critics now claim that under the Tinubu administration, the EFCC’s prosecutorial power is being perceived (if not deployed) as a political instrument.
Opposition leaders, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and coalition parties such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have publicly accused the federal government of using anti-corruption agencies to intimidate opposition figures and governors, effectively pressuring them into aligning with the APC.
In a statement released in December 2025, opposition figures alleged that institutions such as the EFCC, the Nigerian Police and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission were being selectively wielded to weaken political competitors rather than combat financial crime impartially.
This is not merely rhetorical noise. The opposition’s grievances centre on several observable patterns:
Reopened or New Investigations Against Opposition Figures: The ADC pointed to recent abnormal reactivation of long-dormant cases or new inquiries into financial activities involving senior opposition politicians. These, they argue, often arise shortly before critical elections or political realignments.
Alleged Differential Treatment: According to opponents of the current administration, individuals who have defected to the APC appear less likely to face sustained legal scrutiny or prosecution in EFCC proceedings, even in cases of credible allegations of mismanagement.
Timing of Actions: The timing of certain high-profile investigations, emerging ahead of the 2027 general elections, reinforces perceptions that anti-graft measures are tailored to political cycles rather than legal merit.
The EFCC and Presidency have publicly denied these allegations, insisting that the commission operates independently and pursues corruption irrespective of political affiliation and that Nigeria’s democratic freedoms (including party choice and mobility) remain intact.
Yet the perception of bias, once systemic, is hard to erase, especially when political actors deploy powerful state machinery with strategic timing and selective intensity.
Defections and Power Realignment: A Democracy at Risk? Since 2023 and particularly through 2025, a remarkable number of state governors and senior political leaders have crossed over from opposition parties (notably the Peoples Democratic Party – PDP) to the APC. Though defections are normal in Nigeria’s fluid political system, the scale and speed in recent years are historically noteworthy, raising critical questions about underlying incentives.
The SaharaWeeklyNG reported Makinde’s comments within the broader context of a political climate where dissenting voices face greater obstacles than at any time in recent democratic memory.
Governors who remain in opposition find themselves squeezed between growing federal assertiveness and dwindling political capital. Some analysts argue that the combination of federal resource control, political appointments and influence over public agencies exerts tangible pressure on subnational leaders to align with the ruling party for political survival. This dynamic, they contend, undermines competitive party politics and weakens Nigeria’s multiparty democracy.
Speaking Truth to Power: What Makinde’s Critique Exposes. Governor Makinde’s core grievance (that it is increasingly difficult, perhaps perilous, to speak truth to power) resonates widely among civil society actors, political analysts and democratic advocates:
“YOU CANNOT SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER IN THIS DISPENSATION,” Makinde declared, specifically citing the government’s handling of contentious tax reform bills as an example where dissent was neither welcomed nor transparently debated.
Makinde’s critique reflects deeper structural concerns:
Exclusion of Key Stakeholders: Opposition leaders and state executives report being marginalised from meaningful consultation on national policies affecting federal-state relations, revenue sharing and fiscal reforms.
Institutional Intimidation: The perception that state politicians become targets of federal legal scrutiny after taking firm oppositional stances (real or perceived) discourages robust democratic debate.
Erosion of Opposition Space: A symbiotic effect of party defections and institutional pressure is a shrinking viable space for genuine political opposition, weakening checks and balances essential to democratic governance.
A respected political scientist, Dr. Aisha Bello of the University of Lagos, recently argued that “when opposition becomes fraught with state leverage instead of ideological competition, the very foundation of democratic contestation collapses,” adding that “a government that shies away from criticism risks inversion into autocracy.”
Another expert, Prof. Chinedu Eze, former dean of political studies at Ahmadu Bello University, warned that “selective use of anti-corruption agencies as political tools corrodes public trust and ultimately delegates justice into the hands of incumbents rather than independent courts.” These observations echo growing public skepticism.
The Way Forward: Strengthening Democracy and Institutions. Nigeria’s path forward depends on restoring confidence in democratic norms and institutional independence.
Transparent EFCC Processes: Civil society groups and legal scholars are advocating for enhanced transparency in anti-graft investigations, including clear prosecutorial thresholds and independent audits of case initiation and closures.
Judicial Oversight: Strengthening the judiciary’s capacity and independence is critical to ensuring that allegations of political weaponisation do not go unchecked. Courts must remain the ultimate arbiters of evidence and guilt.
Political Reforms: Advocates demand reforms to party financing, federal-state fiscal relations, and consultation mechanisms to reduce incentives for defections driven by federal resource leverage.
Public Engagement: A more informed and engaged civil society, anchored by independent media and civic education, must hold both government and opposition accountable for adherence to democratic principles.
Beyond The Present Moment.
Governor Makinde’s assertion that it is no longer tenable to “speak truth to power” under the current administration reflects unsettling trends in Nigeria’s evolving democratic landscape. While the EFCC and the Presidency maintain that anti-corruption efforts are independent and constitutionally grounded, opposition leaders (backed by political data and patterns of defections) argue that state power is being used to consolidate one-party dominance and undermine political pluralism.
At this critical juncture, Nigeria must choose between entrenching competitive democracy or sliding toward a political monopoly where dissent is subdued, institutions compromised, and power concentrated.
For Nigeria’s democratic ideals to survive (and thrive) its leaders and citizens must ensure that speaking truth to power remains not a perilous act of defiance but an honoured pillar of national life.
APC Chairman Appoints Norbert Akachukwu Sochukwudinma as SSA on Local Government Affairs
By Ifeoma Ikem
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has approved the appointment of Norbert Akachukwu Sochukwudinma (NAS) as Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Local Government Affairs.
The appointment is part of ongoing efforts by the APC national leadership to strengthen grassroots engagement and enhance coordination between the party’s national secretariat and local government structures across the country.
Sochukwudinma is a seasoned politician and an active member of the APC, with deep roots in Delta State politics. He currently serves as the APC Chairman for Aniocha South Local Government Area.
In addition to his local role, he is also the Coordinating Chairman of APC Chairmen in Delta North, a position through which he has played a strategic role in party mobilisation and reconciliation efforts within the senatorial district.
Known for his commitment to party integration and grassroots development, Sochukwudinma has been actively involved in strengthening the APC’s presence and internal cohesion in Delta State.
Party stakeholders have described his appointment as well-deserved, citing his experience, organisational capacity, and consistent engagement with party members at the ward and local government levels.
The new SSA is expected to bring his grassroots expertise to bear in advising the APC National Chairman on local government affairs, party administration, and effective mobilisation strategies nationwide.
His appointment takes immediate effect.
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