Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has accused the Federal Government of using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to intimidate him and members of his cabinet because he refused to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor made the allegation on Wednesday in Bauchi while signing the 2026 appropriation bill into law and after receiving an ambassadorial award for safety from the Institute of Safety Professionals in Nigeria. He revealed that one of his commissioners is currently being detained by the EFCC.
“As a governor and head of the opposition, my commissioner has been detained and will not be released. Even with constitutional immunity, my name was mentioned in a court motion in Nigeria—me, Bala Mohammed,” he said.
Mohammed claimed the APC-led federal government is attempting to use the courts and institutions like the EFCC to prosecute Nigerians who are not aligned with the ruling party. He insisted that no amount of pressure would force him to join the APC.
The comments come after the EFCC arraigned Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, over alleged N5.79 billion money laundering. Adamu is accused of conspiring with two others, who remain at large, to launder N4.65 billion between June and December 2023.
The governor expressed frustration that, despite his immunity, his name was included in the EFCC motion against his commissioner. “I woke up to a notification accusing me of terrorism. I don’t need to respond publicly, but politics has clearly taken a troubling turn in Nigeria,” he said.
As chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Mohammed warned that he would no longer remain silent if the federal government continues what he described as persecution. “If they don’t stop, we are going to declare war. I won’t allow anyone to criminalise me because I’m not in their party, and I refuse to join the APC,” he stated.
He also criticised the federal government for failing to deliver projects in Bauchi, pointing out that despite controlling the bulk of national resources, it has not provided a single kilometre of road or water infrastructure in the state. Mohammed further condemned the planned implementation of new tax laws without addressing alleged discrepancies in the gazetted copy.
