Bala Mohammed gets minimum of100 visitors daily—- EFCC source

Detained immediate past Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed, has turned to a political idol in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Mohammed was arrested two weeks ago alongside Dr. Reuben Abati, former spokesman to im­mediate past President Good­luck Jonathan over alleged land swap deal.

It was gathered that since the former minister’s arrest, the EFCC headquarters, also known as Tunde Idiagbon House in Abuja, has become a Mecca of sort to politicians from his home state of Bauchi and oth­er neighbouring states of Gombe, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau and Jiga­wa.

“On a good day,” said an EFCC operative, “Senator Bala Mohammed gets a minimum of 100 visitors, and most of them are top politicians from his state and other neighbouring states.

“We have tried everything possible to stop them. But the more we do, the more they flood our office. It is as if his (Moham­med’s) detention has increased his popularity,” the official said.

He continued: “We don’t know how this Bala Mohammed managed to garner such goodwill. Even though we have other for­mer ministers (such as Femi Fani-Kayode and Musiliu Obanikoro) in our custody, you can be sure that over 80 percent of the visitors are for Bala Mohammed.”

A former member of the Na­tional Assembly from Plateau State, who sought anonymity, described Bala Mohammed as “a man of the people”, declaring that there were thousands of peo­ple who would not mind going to jail on his behalf.”

According to him, “this EFCC thing will not work. In­sha Allahu, Senator Bala Mo­hammed is the next governor of Bauchi State. Remember Senator Iyiola Omisore won a Senate seat from prison, ditto for former gov­ernor of Abia State, Chief Theo­dore Orji, who is also now in the Senate.

“The APC (All Progressives Congress) people think they can break Bala Mohammmed. Im­possible! The last time we met, he was full of praises for former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“He told us that ‘they want me to deny former President Goodluck Jonathan. I will never do that! Jonathan is the best Pres­ident Nigeria ever had. A man from the Niger Delta who didn’t know me and yet made me FCT Minister for six years! Nobody has spent four years as FCT Min­ister, yet Jonathan allowed me to spend six years. He is a great man and I will never deny him,’” the former lawmaker quoted Mo­hammed as saying.

Another former lawmaker from Bauchi State told The AU­THORITY that the EFCC probe of Senator Bala Mohammed would culminate into a “wild goose chase”, stressing that “the detention has only made the man and the Peoples’ Democratic Par­ty (PDP) in Bauchi State strong­er.”

He said: “We are happy that Senator Bala Mohammed has taken his travails with equanim­ity, as the cross he has to bear for supporting Goodluck Jonathan. The beauty of it is that the man realises he is the rallying point for the opposition to APC in 2019. Mark my words, Bala Moham­med is the man to beat in 2019, Insha Allahu.”