Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has said that he no plans to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. He dismissed speculation about a possible defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after his meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.

In a media interaction with State House Correspondents, after meeting with the President, Governor Mohammed stated that his visit was strictly for governance and security matters.

The governor maintained that insinuations of political realignment were unfounded. He said that his priority remained to address the security challenges confronting parts of his state.

He said his visit was primarily to brief the President on the worsening security situation in Alkaleri Local Government Area, where bandits have reportedly taken advantage of ungoverned forest areas around the Daji Dam corridor.

According to him, the activities of the armed groups have resulted in sporadic clashes with security agencies and triggered panic among residents, many of whom have fled to neighboring local governments and states for safety.

Mohammed disclosed that Bauchi State is considering a joint security summit with contiguous states, Taraba, Plateau and Gombe, to strengthen inter-state collaboration against banditry and criminal networks operating across shared forest belts.

He warned that Bauchi, which has enjoyed relative peace over the past decade, cannot afford a prolonged security setback at a time of renewed investor interest, particularly, in mining and emerging oil and gas prospects.

The governor reaffirmed his long-standing support for decentralized policing, saying Bauchi is prepared to embrace state police once constitutional processes are concluded.