Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has criticised members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who are also aligned with the newly formed opposition coalition, describing their dual loyalty as political double-dealing and an aberration.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday during a meeting of PDP founding fathers and stakeholders, Governor Mohammed, who also serves as Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, warned party members to choose between loyalty to the PDP and association with the coalition. He said the party would not tolerate those who sought to play both sides.

“If you are in the PDP, you are in the PDP,” he said firmly. “You cannot be a member of the PDP and simultaneously be part of a coalition or another party. We cannot take this. Coalition is an aberration, yes, I said it.”

His comments come amid growing tensions following the coalition’s recent endorsement of the African Democratic Party (ADP) as its platform for the 2027 general elections. The alliance, which comprises several prominent opposition politicians, includes some PDP members who have yet to formally defect.

“You cannot belong to two places. You cannot be a hermaphrodite. You cannot be a man and a woman at the same time. The PDP is a man, and we are moving,” the governor said metaphorically. “But we will still allow you to think, because you are our leaders. But if you are going, don’t de-market us,” Mohammed said.

While maintaining that the PDP remains open to reconciliation, Governor Mohammed urged those considering a switch to reconsider their decision, stressing that the party offers a more robust national structure and an enduring legacy.

“The PDP has history, a legacy, a structure everywhere, and the governors are doing their best,” he said. “Yes, politics is local. Some may go due to certain permutations and calculations. But I think they will be proved wrong.”

Addressing party elders who had defected or were contemplating doing so, the governor extended an olive branch. “Even our elders who have gone, we don’t want to diminish, denigrate, or abuse them. We are telling them with humility: Come back.”

He questioned the rationale of those seeking greener pastures outside the PDP, warning that chasing ticket dreams through lesser-known parties may prove politically fruitless.

“Maybe in terms of their calculations, they want to actualise their aspirations to get tickets. But do you want to get a ticket and lose?” he asked. “So, please, come back. You have no reason to go anywhere,” he said.