Shamsu Bala, the eldest son of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, has publicly accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of undermining his father’s reelection campaign in 2023, declaring it’s now time for “settling scores.” In a pointed social media post on Saturday, Bala asserted that Atiku’s reluctance to reconcile with his father ahead of the 2027 election would hinder his chances of securing the governor’s support.
“He didn’t work for us in the 2023 election; he worked for the APC’s governorship candidate, Abubakar Sadiq,” Bala claimed. “He enlisted elites in Bauchi to oppose us, and we won the election only narrowly.”
Bala further expressed his frustration, stating, “Now he takes us for granted. He doesn’t value us as individuals and shows that he thinks we are too insignificant to call for reconciliation.” His tweet, written in Hausa, did not identify the Bauchi elites who allegedly conspired against his father.
The tension between the parties is underscored by Governor Mohammed’s January 2023 directive to the Bauchi Emirate Council to strip a prominent elder statesman, Bello Kirfi, of his traditional title for perceived disloyalty. Kirfi, a political ally of Atiku, is believed to be one of the figures who worked against the governor’s campaign.
Bala’s comments came on the heels of Atiku’s visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna, which some political observers interpreted as an attempt by Atiku to forge a coalition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In response to Bala’s remarks, PDP social media influencer Abdulaziz Na’ibi-Abubakar expressed concern, urging reconciliation between Atiku and Governor Mohammed to maintain the party’s unity.
Governor Mohammed, who previously challenged Atiku in the PDP presidential primaries in 2022, has since returned to focus on his governorship, where he remains a key player as the chairman of the PDP’s governors’ forum and a prominent figure in the party’s future dynamics.
