My absence from Tinubu’s House visit not political – Bauchi gov

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, says political meaning should not be read into his absence from governors’ New Year visit to the Lagos home of President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday.

On New Year’s Day, governors under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum visited the President at his Bourdillon Road home in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The governors in attendance included Abba Yusuf (Kano), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers), and Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo). Others were Babagana Zulum (Borno), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), and Usman Ododo (Kogi).

Governor Bala Mohammed, who also serves as the Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s Governors’ Forum, was notably absent from the visit.

This absence has sparked speculation, particularly given recent tensions between Mohammed and the Presidency over President Tinubu’s proposed tax reforms.

Earlier in the week, the Presidency accused the governor of issuing threats against the President, while Mohammed countered by accusing the Presidency of blackmail and reiterating his opposition to the reforms.

Responding to inquiries on Thursday, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mukhtar Gidado, dismissed any political undertones to Mohammed’s absence from the visit to Tinubu’s house.