A political support group, Bala Agents’ Mandate, has appealed to former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and ex-Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and collaborate with Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, in strengthening the party’s position as Nigeria’s leading opposition force.
Speaking at a press conference in Port Harcourt on Monday, the group’s Rivers State Coordinator, Amadi Chijioke, warned that attempts to create a new opposition alliance could weaken efforts to rescue the country from what he described as poor governance and erosion of democratic values.
Chijioke expressed confidence in Mr Mohammed’s ability to lead the PDP to electoral success, describing the party as a political home for all progressive-minded individuals.
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“We don’t need another coalition,” he said.
“What we need is for those who left, like Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi, to return and stand with Bala Mohammed to rebuild the PDP. At the moment, he’s taking on this task largely on his own.”
Echoing this sentiment, the group’s National Coordinator, Habib Musa, praised the PDP Governors’ Forum under Mr Mohammed’s leadership, calling it the party’s most reliable and cohesive structure in these politically turbulent times.
Mr Musa criticised the recent defections of the Delta and Akwa Ibom State governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging that the moves were not based on principle but driven by political self-preservation.
“These defections are not a reflection of ideological shift. They are acts of desperation. But we remain confident that the PDP will reclaim those states through democratic means,” Mr Musa stated.
He also condemned recent developments in Rivers State, including the suspension of democratic institutions and attempts to close the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, which he said were evidence of state-backed suppression of dissent.
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Mr Musa urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to put aside political differences and work with Mr Mohammed for the PDP’s revival, despite his current affiliation with the APC-led federal administration.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s 26 years of democracy, the group called for a renewed commitment to democratic norms, institutional independence, and good governance.
