Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, yesterday, signed the 2026 Appropriation Bill of N877 billion into law.

He presented the sum of N878.15 billion to the House of Assembly on November 27, where it was subsequently subjected to thorough legislative scrutiny and a slight downward adjustment.

He commended the legislative chamber for what he described as a robust, objective and non-partisan review process, noting that the final budget approval reflected a prudent reduction of about N1.1 billion, achieved through modest adjustments in recurrent expenditure without affecting capital projections.

According to him, the process demonstrated fiscal discipline, institutional independence and a shared commitment between the executive and legislative arms of government to protect public interest and prioritise service delivery.

The Speaker, Abubakar Sulaiman, stated that the 2026 Appropriation Law was a product of an inclusive and transparent process that involved budget defence sessions, stakeholder engagements, and rigorous committee oversight.

However, the governor has declared that he would not allow anyone to criminalise him because he refused to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum claimed that the APC-led Federal Government had been using the institutions of state and court to persecute and prosecute Nigeria.

He spoke yesterday shortly after assenting to the 2026 budget.

Mohammed also received an award of excellence as a Safety Ambassador by the Safety Institute of Nigeria.

Responding to the award, the governor dedicated it to Bauchi State “because it is where we worked and we collectively earned that recognition.”

The governor said politics has become something else in Nigeria, but with this kind of people around, like the award organisers, there is still hope in the country.