Peter Obi in Bauchi for closed-door meeting with Bala Mohammed

African Democratic Congress chieftain and former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi arrived in Bauchi State on Thursday for a meeting with Governor Bala Mohammed, as political activity surrounding the PDP Governors’ Forum chairman’s anticipated defection continues to intensify.

The purpose of the visit could not be immediately established as both politicians were locked in a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Lounge of the Government House in Bauchi, though both leaders were expected to address journalists at the conclusion of the talks.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of Mohammed’s public disclosure on March 31 that his preferred destination for defection was the African Democratic Congress. 

The governor made that statement while hosting a delegation from the ADC led by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, at the Government House in Bauchi.

However, Mohammed’s political trajectory appeared less certain in the days that followed, as he also received APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Yilwatda alongside Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf at the Government House on April 1 — a development that fuelled speculation about which direction the governor would ultimately lean.

Mohammed remains the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, and his eventual political destination is being closely watched as one of the most consequential defection decisions ahead of the 2027 general elections.