By Iliya Mallam Duguri
What unfolded at the PDP National Secretariat on Tuesday was the biggest show of unbridled ambition and uncouth behaviour—more synonymous with a political hoodlum than with a governor who claims to aspire to national leadership. This was not a rally or campaign event; it was the PDP’s NEC and Board of Trustees meetings—its highest decision-making forums, where restraint, decorum, and statesmanship are expected.
Instead, the atmosphere was poisoned by the conduct of Governor Bala Mohammed, Governor Seyi Makinde, and their faction-appointed Chair, whose actions fanned tension rather than calmed it. Eyewitnesses reported that Bala Mohammed arrived with Kaura loyalists wielding long sticks, injecting fear into a gathering meant for sober internal deliberation.
Even more alarming were reports that women politicians—already acutely vulnerable within Nigeria’s political landscape—were slapped and assaulted by security personnel attached to Bala Mohammed. In a country striving to enhance women’s political participation, such behaviour is indefensible and shameful.
The breakdown worsened when some of his policemen and security aides were caught on camera beating people, including journalists, a disturbing display that violated both party members and the press. Rather than controlling the situation, these actions intensified the chaos and tarnished the integrity of the meeting.
Matters escalated further when Bala Mohammed stood beside Kabiru Turaki, widely regarded as a factional figure, as he issued the reckless plea for Donald Trump to “come and save Nigerian democracy.” In any credible democratic structure, such rhetoric would be condemned without hesitation. Instead, the governor’s silence appeared to endorse it, raising serious questions about judgment and responsibility.
For a man who positions himself as a national leader, this behaviour is deeply troubling. Leadership requires composure, respect for institutions, and fidelity to democratic norms—not intimidation, factional theatrics, or tacit approval of destabilising statements.
What transpired at the PDP National Secretariat was more than a lapse in conduct—it was a show of shame, driven by personal ambition at the expense of party unity, dignity, and national stability. It marks the national unraveling of a political figure who increasingly behaves at odds with the qualities Nigerians expect from anyone seeking higher office.
Nigeria deserves leaders who protect and strengthen democratic institutions—not those who drag them into disorder.
