HOW FCT MINISTER BALA MOHAMMED LOST OUT...

FCT Minsiter, Senator Bala Mohammed is a successful man by Nigerian standards. From an unknown politician in his home state of Bauchi, he became a Senator on the ticket of the ANPP after defeating the then Governor of the state, Adamu Muazu who wanted to come to the Senate after two terms as a Governor. Bala Mohammed has since decamped to the ruling PDP. This was after he moved from the Senate to become an influential Minister under the Government of Goodluck Jonathan. He has remained unshakeable given his closeness to two most influential people in Nigeria –Senate President David Mark who nominated him in the first instance and First Lady Patience Jonathan.

Initially he was believed to be at war with his state Governor, Isa Yuguda over some isssues relating to the control of the power structure in the state especially with the way he was spending money back home. Somehow, the two reached an agreement that the whole struggle might not be worth it. The decision must have been made after the Minister had made it clear that the PDP’s gubernatorial ticket in his home state was not ado or die affair. Deep down, then, he knew that the only stumbling block to his ambition was the Governor, Isa Yuguda.

After Bamanga Tukur lost out and was forced to resign as the National Chairman of the PDP, the choice of the next Chairman was influenced by the Governors from the North West and Isa Yuguda was ready to make amends by allowing his former friend turned foe to pick the exalted party post. Adamu Muazu thus became the National Chairman of thePDP.

Having been worsted in an election  by the FCT Mnister, Adamu Muazu, according to reports is is not ready to forgive so easily, forget about the gifts in cash and kind that have exchanged hands between Bala Mohamed and the party top shot.

Abujareporter.com gathered that the three major actors in the game that is the incumbent Governor, the National Chairman of the party as well as the FCT Minister, are all from the same senatorial district. The implication of this is that the same distirct had produced the two governors with the immediate past spending eight years and the incumbent also likely to spend another eight years. Based on this, the powerbrokers in the state have been harping it on the Governor as well as the PDP National Chairman that it is not politically wise to pick another man from the same zone for another four years while there are two other zones in the state that are yet to produce any governor for over twelve years now. 

Reports have it that these issues serve as the basis of the negotiation that the FCT Minister might as well continue as minister rather than step down to start his campaign. Even though the First lady Dame Patience Jonathan has been one of the forces pushing for his candidature, unless a miracle happens, Bala Mohammed’s dream of becoming the next Governor of Bauchi state might have gone with the wind.