Northern group demands dismissal of FCT minister over row with Bauchi governor

An organisation, Northern Alliance Group, has asked President Goodluck Jonathan, to fire the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Bala Mohammed, for describing the governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, as “a mole of the All Progressives Congress in the Peoples Democratic Party”

It also asked the minister to tender an unreserved apology to Mr. Yuguda, stating that his refusal to do so would be “tantamount to biting the fingers that fed him and disrespecting the one under whose political tutelage he emerged”.

Mr. Mohammed had on Monday alleged that Mr. Yuguda was a mole of the APC in the PDP.

The minister was responding to an allegation by the governor that he and other politicians from Bauchi State organised attacks
on the president’s convoy during the party’s presidential campaign rally in the state last week.

In a statement on Tuesday by its Coordinator, Idris Sanni, the group said such misguided statements such as the one by the minister at this critical stage of the presidential campaign was capable of causing bad blood between the president and governors who are his most reliable allies in his re-election bid.

The group urged Mr. Jonathan to take the allegation made by Mr. Yuguda seriously that the minister alongside others were behind the attack of the President at the rally in Bauchi.

“Senator Bala Mohammed since he could not realize his dream of becoming governor of Bauchi state has been bitter and thought himself and his supporters will be embarrassing Governor Isa Yuguda by their actions and we are aware that those arrested are confessed Bala Mohammed supporters” the statement said.

The group further described Mr. Mohammed’s actions as typical of other ministers who put their personal interest above their duties and commitment to Mr. Jonathan.

It said, “We are advising the President not to fall for this cheap ploy as the governors including Governor Yuguda are more important to him at this stage and not ministers like Bala Mohammed who do not have any electoral value in their states.”