Bauchi Governor Accuses Wike of Plotting to “Put Fire” in His State, Calls Tinubu’s Circle “Hooligans”

By: Abudu Olalekan

Thursday night. Channels Television studio. Governor Bala Mohammed sat forward in his seat, and you could just tell. Something was about to break.

The interviewer asked about his Finance Commissioner. The one currently on EFCC bail. Mohammed’s jaw tightened.

“To mention my name at all is something that bothers me,” he said. Voice strained. “Look at my pedigree. My antecedents. Public servant. Senator. Minister. I’ve served this country. And now this?”

Short pause. Then came the bombshell.

“Somebody said he is going to ‘put fire’ in my state. The FCT Minister, Wike. Put fire.”

Not political pressure. Not opposition. Fire.

Reportersroom was monitoring the broadcast. This wasn’t some prepared statement. This was raw. Real. Mohammed accused Nyesom Wike of controlling institutions, bribing people, influencing petitions. Heavy stuff. The kind of accusations that gets you sued right back.

“My informants inside EFCC disclosed this,” he continued. “Petitions. Documents influencing court processes. All orchestrated. My Commissioner of Finance is on bail. You think that’s coincidence?”

He leaned in. “I’m not saying my name should never be mentioned if my commissioner is actually involved. But to simply set aside my immunity? It’s unfortunate. You give me a bad name.”

The governor described a coordinated campaign. Victimisation. Political intimidation. Abuse of security institutions. All designed to destroy him. Force him to align politically. Neutralize him as a threat. The usual playbook, he suggested, but executed with unusual venom.

“I’ve written to the Attorney General,” Mohammed stated flatly. “Multiple agencies. Now I’m taking it further. International community. They need to see what’s happening here.”

Then came the soundbite.

“The President is surrounded by hooligans and charlatans. Reckless people. Who want to join the APC. Not only that. Who want to destroy me.”

Hooligans and charlatans. About the President’s inner circle.

But Mohammed saved his sharpest criticism for Wike’s party loyalty.

“He is not a genuine member of the PDP,” he declared. “I watched him closely. I was at the Secretariat when he went there to take over. You cannot be in two places at the same time. It’s against the laws of nature. You cannot be here and there simultaneously. Not with them and with us at once.”

He called Wike an “undertaker” within the PDP. A destabilising force. Divided loyalties.

The situation, Mohammed warned, represents unchecked impunity. Grave consequences for democracy and accountability. He didn’t elaborate. Didn’t need to.

Reportersroom reached out to Wike’s office Friday morning. No response. The EFCC rarely comments on investigations, especially when accused of being controlled. The presidency? Silent too. But phones are definitely ringing behind closed doors.

This wasn’t just another political spat. This was a governor declaring war on a federal minister and the President’s circle. On live television. During prime time.

The roots run deep. Wike and Mohammed have circled each other for months. The EFCC investigation into Bauchi’s finances provided the spark. Mohammed sees political motivation. Wike probably sees anti-corruption. Truth? Likely messy, like always.

But “put fire in my state”? That’s specific. Personal. Not about budgets. About power.

Mohammed’s Finance Commissioner remains on bail. The case hasn’t collapsed. So the governor fights legal and political battles simultaneously. Thursday’s interview suggests he’s chosen public confrontation. No more quiet letters. No more backchannel complaints.

Will it work? Accusing the President’s men rarely ends well. But Mohammed seems past caring. He’s betting on public sympathy, on the narrative of a governor bullied by federal might.

The PDP watches nervously. Wike controls FCT for APC but maintains PDP structures. Mohammed’s “undertaker” comment will resonate with party loyalists suspicious of Wike’s double game.

For now, Bauchi state house is in crisis mode. Staffers drafting statements, monitoring social media, fielding calls. The governor, meanwhile, probably feels lighter. Unburdened. When you finally say what you’ve been thinking for months, there’s relief.

Whether that relief lasts? Different question entirely. Politics in Nigeria punishes honesty. But punishes silence too. Mohammed chose his poison.

The fire, it seems, is already burning. And it’s spreading fast.