“And I was lucky I met Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we discussed, he was calling me consensus and I told him that: if you were in PDP we would have just given you the ticket because we just knew that without you Buhari wouldn’t have been a president and in PDP we recognise contributions. We have some people in Nigeria that we must recognise and it was definitely a good outing for me yesterday. The First Lady is a unifier. She has shown that she is a mother of the nation and all the presidential aspirants not only in PDP, APC but all the other parties were there. It was an opportunity to show that I’m really a product of consensus or closing rank, irrespective of party differences.” Governor Bala Mohammed said this on Sunday, April 25, 2022, when he appeared on ThisDay live programme of Arise TV.
On Tuesday, October 31, 2023, according to Daily Trust newspapers, in the wake of the crisis between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and immediate-past Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, and his successor, Governor Simi Fubara; Bala Mohammed announced that President Tinubu had indeed intervened in the crisis and that a resolution was underway, as a result of Mr. President’s efforts to make peace between the two warring stalwarts of the PDP in Rivers state. Bala Mohammed had indicated that the president was speaking to Wike and Fubara, assuring that peace was underway. True to this, today, Rivers state government power houses and chambers are experiencing relative peace, as against the political inferno that was threatening to consume the PDP dynasty in the state. The Bauchi state governor, who is Chairman, PDP Governors Forum, in a statement after meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, declared that, “Mr President has shown that he is a president for both PDP and APC. We are going to work with him”.
On November 2, 2023, as reported by Punch, PDP Governors Forum DG, Cyril Maduabum, had said in a terse statement, “There is no way Governor Bala Mohammed, being a lover of peace in all parts of the country, could fold his arms and fail to appreciate the good efforts of the president in finding solution to the crisis.” He noted that the unity and peace of our country transcends politics and political leanings, saying that the forum (led by Bala Mohammed) has not done anything wrong by thanking Tinubu for resolving the crisis in Rivers state. “Senator Bala Mohammed is not ringing and will not do anything to handover the PDP, a leading and formidable opposition party, to the president, who was elected on the platform of another party. The situation in Rivers is not just a PDP affair. No!”, he declared.
President Tinubu had attended the Saudi Saudi/Africa Summit held in Saudi Arabia, in an effort to shore up FDI into the country, to re-tool our foreign reserves kitty, boost trade, and improve our GDP. Impressively, our GDP growth rate is 2.54%, for the third quarter of 2023, better than the second quarter of 2023, and especially the third quarter of 2022. Bala Mohammed was in the president’s team that visited Saudi, which has heralded the establishment of the Nigeria-Saudi Arabia Business Council. Saudi has earmarked $25 billion investment in Africa. Mr. President’s trip secured a pledge by the rich Middle-Eastern & Islamic capital of the world, that they would be investing in Nigeria a considerable amount of their proposed investment in Africa.
In his remarks from the visit, Bala Mohammed said: “We have to appreciate the dedication of Mr President towards Nigeria and the revival of the economy, which is in dire need of reformation. So far, we have seen from his steps that we are moving forward to a new Nigeria. As the president prayed for the wellbeing of the country at the holiest place of Islam, it gives me the courage that he will deliver the hope that Nigeria desires. In spite of our party differences, I still have great respect for the president. As he prayed for Nigeria, I prayed for him because when you pray for your leaders, you are, ultimately, praying for yourself. He did in Lagos and look at what Lagos has become in not only Nigeria but also in Africa. That is the transformation Nigeria requires, and we will see it in no distant time.”
Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa state was also full of praises for the president as he applauded him for his non-interference in the off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa. This was contained in a statement he issued on November 13, 2023. “I want to place on record our gratitude to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for allowing the conducive environment for what has been a free, fair and credible election”, he said. So, Governor Bala is not alone in his admiration of President Tinubu’s leadership craftsmanship, which he has brought to bear on the promotion of the country’s democratic pursuits, as well as the development and expansion of our economy, which promises to be the best in Africa, and one of the top 10 in the world. If two or more opposition governors will publicly declare admiration, respect and prayers for our oresident, who am I to object?
Tahir is Talban Bauchi.
