Minister of foreign affairs Yusuf Tuggar has accused Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed of igniting tensions between them, saying their frosty relationship worsened after a recent altercation.
Tuggar, in an interview with BBC Hausa published on Thursday, recalled how a disagreement between both men deepened their rift during Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s visit to Bauchi on April 19.
Reports had circulated that the state’s deputy governor, Muhammad Jatau, slapped Tuggar in a bus conveying dignitaries from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa International Airport to the Emir of Bauchi’s palace.
The alleged confrontation was said to have followed disparaging comments about the governor by the minister. Jatau, however, denied the allegation.
Tuggar in the BBC interview blamed Governor Mohammed for sparking the incident, saying the governor interrupted his conversation with the vice-president.
“He (Mohammed) interrupted a conversation I was having with the vice-president — thereby drawing first blood,” he said.
Tuggar further alleged that the governor insulted his late father and even threatened to slap him.
“I didn’t see how he could beat me or slap me, so I also stood up and tried to stop him,” he said.
”After that, his deputy ran from the back of the bus, saying he would also come and slap me, but he couldn’t even get close to me, because don’t forget that the vice-president was in that bus.”
Tuggar, a persistent critic of Mohammed’s administration, is believed to be considering a run for the Bauchi governorship in 2027.
“Whether I have ambitions or not, if you look at my history, you will see that when it is time to speak the truth, I speak out,” the minister said.
“Everyone knows how farmers and herders are being almost robbed of their farms and their grazing land and given to companies, and these companies come and ask for loans on the pretext that they will come and farm, they will invest there.
“So what is happening is unfortunate because when their farms are taken away or herders are taken away from their grazing land, you see some of them go and engage in this act of terrorism.
“If giving state lands to companies for investments was truly beneficial, then why have we not yet seen Bauchi state producing more grains or cattle than any other state, while the situation is getting worse?”
Jatau, who hails from the Bauchi North senatorial district like Tuggar, is also rumoured to be eyeing the governorship seat in 2027. The region has never produced a state governor since 1999.
