Why I was absent from Tinubu’s House visit – Governor Bala Mohammed

The governor of Bauchi state, Bala Mohammed, has said his absence from governors’ New Year visit to President Bola Tinubu in his Lagos home on Wednesday, had no political undertones.

On January 1, governors under the umbrella of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum visited Tinubu at his Bourdillon Road home in Ikoyi, Lagos.

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.

Gidado explained that the governor had been mourning the loss of his 102-year-old stepmother, Hauwa Duguri, who passed away on New Year’s Day.

“The stepmother of the governor, Hauwa Duguri, passed away on Wednesday, the same day as the New Year visit,” Gidado said. “The governor has been restless. As I speak to you, we are in his country home in Duguri, mourning her loss.

“It is uncalled for to link the governor’s absence to his recent exchanges with the Presidency,” he added, noting that Mohammed was still receiving sympathisers offering condolences.