‘Don’t be hermaphrodites’ — Bala Mohammed tells PDP members in ADC

Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi, has warned members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against aligning with the opposition coalition group.

Speaking on Wednesday during a meeting of the PDP founding members and stakeholders in Abuja, Mohammed said the members cannot claim to still be in PDP and the coalition at the same time.

Many PDP chieftains are members of the opposition coalition, which has adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its platform for the 2027 elections.

However, they have not renounced their membership of the PDP.

The governor said while some members may have left the PDP to pursue tickets elsewhere, it would be unwise to abandon a party with nationwide structures and electoral value.

“If somebody wants to leave PDP to go to another party, how is this smart in terms of thought and thinking? Because the PDP has history, a legacy, a structure everywhere, and the governors are doing their best,” he said.

“Yes, politics is local. Some may go due to certain reasons, certain permutations, calculations. But I think they will be proved wrong. Even our elders who have gone, we don’t want to diminish, denigrate or abuse them. We are telling them with humility: come back.

“So this is the thought. However, we certainly reason with them. Maybe in terms of their own calculations, they want to actualise their aspirations to get tickets. But do you want to get a ticket and lose? So, please, come back. You have no reason to go anywhere.

“If you are in PDP, you are in PDP. You cannot be a member of the PDP and simultaneously be part of a coalition with another party. We cannot do this. But you have all the time to decide. Coalition is an aberration — yes, I said it.

“You cannot belong to two places. You cannot be a hermaphrodite. You cannot be a man and a woman at the same time. Be who you will be. But we will still allow you to have a thought, because you are our leaders. But if you are going, don’t de-market us.”

The chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum advised members against demarketing the party due to grievances.