By Pascal Ibe

Claim

A video clip of Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, vowing not to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC),  resurfaced a few days ago with an X user claiming that the clip was recent.

Verdict

This claim is MISLEADING. Governor Mohammed made the comments in the video on 31 December 2025, but the video was posted online on 2 January, during the time the governor’s commissioner of finance was detained and charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Full Text

Before the crisis began to rock the coalition opposition, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) last week, the party had received many political defectors, including serving lawmakers in the House of Representatives.

The party was hoping and gearing up to receive more heavyweights, including the likes of the former governor of Kano, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Governor Mohammed, before the Independent National Electoral Commission stopped recognising its leadership led by David Mark, due to a court order.

Already, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, former Nigerian vice president, Atiku Abubakar, former Kaduna governor, Nasir El Rufai,  and others are in the party for the 2027 elections.

As the crisis in the ADC continues, Governor Mohammed, who is expected to join the party in no time, seems to be delaying the move.

Amid the back and forth by the governor, an X account, ADC Vanguard,   on 2 April, shared a video clip of the Bauchi governor, vowing not to join the APC while also criticising the President Bola Tinubu-led government for allegedly using the EFCC to hunt the opposition.

The X user claimed that the clip was recent.

The post by @ADCVanguard has already garnered over 151k views as well as more than 2k reposts on X.

Verification

Results from Google Image Reverse Search show that the video clip was posted on 2 January by various Nigerian television stations, including Channels TV.

But corroborating this primary evidence further, the Vanguard newspaper earlier reported on 31 December 2025 that Governor Mohammed made that comment at the time.

During the time the video surfaced, the EFCC arraigned Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, alongside three others — Balarabe Abdullahi Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose, and Kabiru Yahaya Mohammed — before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged terrorism financing and money laundering.

The defendants are facing a 10-count charge bordering on conspiracy, conversion of public funds, and terrorism financing, contrary to Sections 2(1) and 19(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2023.

See similar reports of this here and here.

Why the video resurfaced in April

According to reports five days ago,  Mohammed had earlier indicated plans to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party to the  ADC last Thursday.

However, hours after his decision was made public, the APC chairperson, Nentawe Yilwatda, on Wednesday visited the governor at the Government House, Bauchi State.

Although details of the delegation’s closed-door meeting with the Governor were not made public.

With this new development, the ADC Vanguard account on X decides to recycle the January video as recent.

On Sunday, the Punch reports that the Bauchi governor and others have now shelved their planned defection to ADC over the crisis in the party.

Conclusion

The video clip of Governor Mohammed vowing to join is over three months old and not recent.