From Paul Orude, Bauchi

Decades of a political alliance between Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and Minister for Foreign Affairs,Yusuf Tuggar has turned sour due to opposing interests and ambitions.

Sources within Bauchi Government House revealed to Daily Sun that though they had previously belonged to different political parties, before the current rift, the two politicians shared a relationship built on mutual respect and their bond of friendship had always prevailed.

But recent events have caused sharp disagreements that appear to have damaged their once enviable friendship. The escalating tensions between both have spilled into the public domain and have brought about criticisms and altercations leading to a widely publicised incident last Friday at a high-profile wedding in Bauchi. This event serves as an expectation of the potential political battles that would likely be fought in the run up to the 2027 general elections.

The Yuguda factor

According to sources close to both men, the foundation of their  friendship was laid when they were both brought into the political arena by their mentor, Mallam Isa Yuguda who was the Governor of Bauchi State in 2007. Yuguda who was initially a staunch member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was compelled to leave due to internal opposition to his gubernatorial aspirations and he subsequently joined the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP).

Yuguda’s initial foray into PDP politics began when former Governor Adamu Muazu refused to support his governorship bid. A well-known and financially bouyant politician at the time, Yuguda defected to the ANPP, bringing his resources, political clout, and supporters including Bala Mohammed and Yusuf Tuggar with him. He subsequently won the governorship election on the ANPP platform in a landslide victory.

Mohammed, aligning himself with his political benefactor in the ANPP, also contested and won the Bauchi South Senatorial seat against Muazu. This victory marked the beginning of Mohammed’s rise from obscurity. Yuguda later married a daughter of the late President Musa Yaradua and eventually returned to the PDP. However, Tuggar and Bala Mohammed chose not to follow their mentor, remaining in the opposition ANPP. During this period, Mohammed served as an ANPP senator, while Tuggar represented Gamawa in the House of Representatives under the ANPP banner. Throughout these years, the two politicians maintained a close relationship. But their paths began to split when Senator Mohammed famously invoked the “Doctrine of Necessity” during the constitutional crisis caused by President Yaradua’s health issues which paved the way for then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to assume the presidency.

Following this, Senator Mohammed moved to the PDP after his appointment as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja by Jonathan. Despite this shift, his friendship with Tuggar remained intact.

Tuggar, on the other hand, contested the 2011 governorship election against his former mentor, Yuguda, who was seeking a second term. Tuggar aligned himself with the newly formed Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), joining forces with Muhammadu Buhari in an attempt to unseat the ruling PDP. Reports indicated that Mohammed supported Tuggar’s gubernatorial ambition, even though Yuguda eventually secured a second term.

Things took another turn with the emergence of Mohammed Abubakar as the governor of Bauchi State on the ANPP platform in 2015, coinciding with the PDP’s loss of federal power to Buhari. In Buhari’s administration, Tuggar was appointed as Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany. In the lead-up to the 2019 elections, Bauchi’s political elite rallied behind Mohammed against Abubakar’s bid for a second term, with Tuggar playing a significant role in this process. Tuggar continued to support Governor Mohammed throughout his first tenure, and their relationship remained close despite their differing political affiliations.

Political divide and 2027

The growing rift in the relationship between Governor Mohammed and Minister Tuggar can be traced to political interests arising from Mohammed’s public criticisms of the federal government under President Bola Tinubu in 2024. As Governor Mohammed approaches the two-year mark of his second term, there is speculation about who his successor would be. Tuggar features prominently among those likely to support him.

Tension between both men escalated when Governor Mohammed began to criticise President Tinubu’s administration. In August 2024, he openly condemned the federal government’s handling of nationwide protests against perceived bad governance. The governor further amplified his criticism by attacking the federal government’s proposed tax reforms, labeling the policy as detrimental to the North and a threat to national unity.

Tuggar, who had been a close ally of Mohammed for decades, responded to the governor’s criticisms of the tax reform policy by accusing his former friend and now political rival of mismanaging state resources and using the proposed tax reform as a smokescreen to conceal his alleged governance failures. The Bauchi State government swiftly countered the minister’s accusations, dismissing them as politically motivated.

The Chief of Staff to the Governor, Aminu Gamawa, who hails from the same area as the Minister, publicly denounced Tuggar as an opportunist and a desperate politician. This public exchanges of criticisms and marked the clear emergence of a gulf between the minister and the governor.

Gulf widens

In March 2025, the escalating tension between the two politicians played out when Tuggar was conspicuously absent from the launch of the Irrigate Nigeria Project in Udubo village, Gamawa Local Government Area of the state. President Tinubu was scheduled to inaugurate the project, with reports initially suggesting that Tuggar would represent him. However, the minister did not attend the event. Instead, he held a separate gathering where he reportedly criticized Governor Mohammed’s administration for alleged land grabbing. Tuggar accused Mohammed of allocating farmlands belonging to smallholder farmers to private companies under the guise of loans.

The genesis of recent altercation

It was within this atmosphere that the two leaders encountered each other on Friday, April 19, 2025, at the wedding of Khadijat Mohammed Abubakar, daughter of the former Governor of Bauchi State. The event drew numerous prominent politicians, including Vice President Ibrahim Shettima, the Governor of Gombe State and Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Inuwa Yahaya. Tuggar had mobilised his followers for the occasion and a large crowd of supporters from both camps gathered at the Emir of Bauchi’s palace, anticipating the arrival of the Vice President and other dignitaries who were also expected to witness the turbaning ceremony of Mohammed Abubakar as the Makama Babban One of the Bauchi Emirate Council by the Emir, Dr. Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu.

Another crowd of Tuggar’s supporters had gathered at Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport and at 3:00 pm, the Vice President’s entourage was received by Governor Mohammed and his Deputy, Auwla Jatau, along with other top government officials. The dignitaries were transported to the Emir of Bauchi’s palace in a coaster bus. The occupants included the host governor, his deputy, the Vice President, Minister Tuggar, and Professor Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, among others.

According to an eyewitness account, “The problem began when the Bauchi governor confronted Yusuf Tuggar, the Foreign Affairs Minister, stating that he (Tuggar) would face the consequences for disrespecting the state’s political leaders. This occurred after his billboard was noticed during the bus ride. When Tuggar replied that the state was not personal property, the Deputy Governor moved from the back of the bus, threatening to physically assault Tuggar. However, because the Minister was seated in the row in front of the Vice President, the Deputy Governor was prevented from reaching him by the Vice President’s security detail. The exchange escalated into a shouting match to the embarrassment of the Vice President, before they arrived at the Emir of Bauchi’s palace, where they all composed themselves. However, immediately after departing the Emir’s palace, the Deputy Governor accosted Tuggar again, repeating his threats.” This incident reportedly led Tuggar to decline joining the entourage back to the Government House to avoid further confrontation.

A prominent politician with knowledge of the recent fallout stated that the governor questioned Tuggar’s motive for mobilising such a large crowd when the official campaign period had not yet commenced. Tuggar reportedly responded by pointing out his own billboards across the state, questioning why the governor hadn’t raised similar concerns about his own visibility. Sources indicated that the argument became heated, prompting the Deputy Governor to intervene in defense of his principal with security agents inside the bus eventually diffusing the situation. “There was actually no slap,” the source clarified.

Intervention

According to political analysts, a concerning aspect of the current conflict is the alleged involvement of Governor Mohammed’s son, Shamsudeen, who reportedly appeared to celebrate the altercation on social media and was allegedly responsible for blogging and disseminating false information claiming that the Deputy Governor had slapped the Foreign Affairs Minister.

“It is unhealthy for the state for children to take sides with their parents in political disagreements.This is not a positive political development,” the source said.

However, the Deputy Governor, through his media aide Muslim Lawal, refuted the slapping allegation, asserting that Jatau would never engage in such behavior. Meanwhile, Minister Tuggar’s camp has maintained silence. One Adam Tuggar, claiming to be the minister’s son, criticised Shamsudeen’s jubilation over the incident on social media, describing his conduct as unbecoming. However, a source informed Daily Sun that Adam Tuggar, who claimed to be the minister’s son, is likely an imposter.

The ongoing disagreement between the two political heavyweights is expected to have significant ramifications as the 2027 elections draw nearer. Initially, the Vice President was reportedly so embarrassed by the incident that he nearly cancelled his attendance at another wedding of a prominent businessman’s daughter the following day, where he was slated to play a significant role. A source revealed that the governor had to personally reassure the Vice President that the situation was under control before he agreed to exercise patience and remain in Bauchi.

With the relationship between Tuggar and Mohammed clearly turning sour, it remains uncertain whether Governor Mohammed will reciprocate the support Tuggar previously extended to him by backing the minister as his successor.