Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has emerged as the National Leader of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), pledging to support the party’s presidential candidate, Governor Seyi Makinde, in the 2027 general elections.
Mohammed was installed at the party’s national convention held in Bauchi on Thursday, where Yusuf Mamman Dantalle was also re-elected as National Chairman.
The governor said the APM had assembled a team capable of addressing the country’s security, economic and developmental challenges.
He specifically endorsed former Director-General of the Department of State Services, Alhaji Lawal Daura, as Makinde’s running mate, describing the combination as suitable for tackling Nigeria’s security challenges.
“We are putting square pegs in square holes,” Mohammed said.
He pledged that the APM would run an inclusive government if elected, promising to accommodate Nigerians irrespective of political, ethnic or other differences.
Mohammed expressed appreciation to the party for the confidence reposed in him, saying he would work to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Makinde, who addressed delegates at the convention, described the APM as a credible opposition platform capable of offering Nigerians an alternative.
He urged Nigerians to judge political parties by their records and measurable results rather than campaign slogans and promises.
According to him, the 2027 elections should focus on what has changed in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.
He said economic policies should be judged by their impact on household purchasing power, employment policies by the availability of productive jobs, agricultural policies by farmers’ productivity and access to markets, and security policies by citizens’ ability to live and move freely.
Makinde also challenged political parties seeking to replace the current government to explain what they would do differently and the measurable outcomes Nigerians should expect.
He called for issue-based campaigns, saying the next election should be a contest of ideas, evidence, records and realistic plans.
Meanwhile, Dantalle pledged after his re-election to reposition the APM into a stronger and more disciplined national political movement.
He said the party would expand its membership, strengthen its structures, deepen internal democracy and intensify grassroots mobilisation.
Dantalle promised greater participation for women and economic opportunities for young Nigerians, insisting that the party would focus on creating conditions for youths to become self-reliant rather than relying on campaign handouts.
He also criticised the continued migration of Nigerians abroad, saying the trend reflected declining confidence in the country as a result of poor leadership and administrative shortcomings.
The convention adopted a new constitution for the party and elected members of the National Working Committee.
The party said it would intensify its grassroots mobilisation under the slogan, “Operation Talk to Somebody, to Talk to Somebody, to Talk to Somebody,” as part of efforts to expand its support base before the 2027 elections.
