BAUCHI – The political temperature in the North-East has hit boiling point as Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, launched a blistering attack on the President Bola Tinubu-led APC government, accusing it of turning the EFCC into a “political attack dog” to hunt down opposition leaders.
In a “no-holds-barred” address on Friday, April 3, 2026, the Governor—popularly known as Kaura—vowed that no amount of institutional harassment would force him or his peers to defect to the ruling party.
The EFCC ‘Coercion’ Plot
The Governor’s outburst follows a series of reported “invitations” and probes by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) targeting key opposition figures. Mohammed described these moves as a desperate attempt by the APC to “coerce and kidnap” the opposition into an “unholy alliance” ahead of 2027.
“They are using the EFCC and other institutions to harass us, thinking they can bully everyone into the APC fold,” a defiant Kaura declared. “This is a gross abuse of office. You cannot build a one-party state by holding a gun to the heads of governors.”
A Pattern of Impunity?
Mohammed’s allegations mirror the “criminal and contemptuous” charges leveled by the ADC’s Bolaji Abdullahi earlier this week. From the controversial de-listing of ADC factions by INEC to the “ten-minute” tarmac visit by the President to Jos, the narrative of a government “governing by intimidation” is gaining massive traction among the opposition.
The Governor’s defiance comes just days after a wave of mass resignations rocked the APC in neighboring Jigawa State, where loyalists of Defence Minister Badaru Abubakar dumped the ruling party, citing the “illegal” treatment of the opposition.
“Kaura is Not for Sale”
While the APC has consistently denied using state machinery for political gains, the Bauchi Governor was unequivocal: his loyalty to the PDP and the opposition coalition is not up for negotiation.
“They think they can use the fear of probes to buy our silence,” he noted. “But let it be known—Kaura is not for sale, and Bauchi will not be intimidated into a ‘Renewed Hope’ that feels more like a renewed nightmare.”
As the EFCC remains silent on the Governor’s specific claims, the battle lines for 2027 are being drawn not just at the ballot box, but in the interrogation rooms of the nation’s security agencies.
