By Rauf Oyewole, Bauchi
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has accused the Federal Government of utilizing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a tool for political persecution to coerce him into joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mohammed, who serves as the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, alleged that the APC-led administration is weaponizing state institutions and the judiciary to harass opposition leaders.
The Governor made these remarks on Wednesday at the Executive Council Chamber, shortly after signing the 2026 budget into law and receiving a Safety Ambassador award from the Safety Institute of Nigeria.
Expressing outrage over recent developments, Mohammed cited the continued detention of his Commissioner for Finance by the EFCC and reports linking his name to a terrorism financing allegation in a court motion.
“I was just waking up to an occasion where I was told that I was being accused of terrorism, as a Governor. Someone who is the head of the opposition,” Mohammed stated.
“My Commissioner (of Finance) has been kept and would not be released by the EFCC, even when I have immunity as a Governor, my name was stupendously mentioned in a motion in a court of law in Nigeria.”
In a stern warning to the Federal Government, the Governor threatened to declare war if the alleged intimidation persists, vowing never to defect to the ruling party.
“They feel they can use the courts, the institution of government, like the EFCC to persecute and prosecute Nigerians that are not within their own party. If they don’t stop, we’re going to declare war,” he declared.
“I assure you that we’re not going to keep quiet any longer. I won’t allow anybody to criminalize me because I’m not in their party and I refuse to join their party, and I will not join their party.”
Governor Mohammed also lambasted the Federal Government for its management of national resources, noting that despite controlling 51 percent of the country’s revenue, the central government has failed to provide critical infrastructure in Bauchi State.
“In my state, they have not provided one kilometer of road, they have not provided water. Even the security agencies, I’m the one paying them to work for us; and they have the guts to talk,” he said.
He further criticized the federal tax system, arguing that it impoverishes the common man and sub-nationals.
Mohammed expressed confusion over the paradox of receiving federal awards for good governance while simultaneously facing persecution.
He noted that his administration has been recognized three times by the Federal Government for Urban Development and Good Governance, yet he is now being criminalized.
“What do they want us to do? What they want us to do is to join them, we will not join them. If they want war, I said, we will give them; if they want peace, we will give them peace,” he concluded.
Despite the tensions, the Governor dedicated the Safety Ambassador award to the people of Bauchi State, attributing the recognition to their collective effort in maintaining peace and security.
