The son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mohammed Atiku-Abubakar, has accused Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed of consistently working against his father’s presidential ambitions, both in 2019 and during the 2023 general elections.
The statement, issued by Mohammed on Monday, was in response to comments made by Shamsu Bala, son of the Bauchi governor, who recently declared that his father would not back Atiku’s expected 2027 presidential bid. The younger Atiku dismissed the remarks as arrogant and overstated, suggesting they merely confirmed a longstanding lack of genuine support from the Bauchi governor.
“Shamsu Bala’s comments reek of arrogance and an exaggerated sense of relevance,” Mohammed stated. “The only difference now is that Shamsu has removed the mask and now we do not have to worry about the feigned impression of any support from his father.”
He went on to stress that Atiku Abubakar had never relied on or benefited from Bala Mohammed’s political support at any point in his career. “Let me re-emphasise that at no point has Shamsu’s father ever supported Atiku Abubakar in his political career,” he said. “On the contrary, the ignoble role his father played in 2023, where he clandestinely worked against the presidential candidate of his party, is still fresh in Nigerians’ memory.”
Mohammed Atiku-Abubakar also dismissed suggestions that Atiku was involved in political disputes within Bauchi State ahead of the 2023 polls. “Whatever conflict Bala Mohammed may have had with politicians in Bauchi, in the lead-up to the 2023 elections, had nothing to do with Atiku Abubakar. It was purely a local affair,” he added.
He concluded by asserting that his father’s political values and strategies have always remained above such “shenanigans,” and insisted that Atiku has never involved himself in the internal challenges facing Bala Mohammed.
The exchange has stirred renewed debate within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where internal divisions continue to cast a shadow over efforts to regroup ahead of future elections.
