- We’re not disturbed – Party
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has
submitted his nomination and expression of interest forms to the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP
The forms are to enable him contest the 2019 House of Representatives’ election in Bauchi State.
Speaking at the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja, Dogara, said he returned to the Peoples Democratic Party not because he was denied ticket to contest election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
Dogara, who is seeking re-election to represent the Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa Federal Constituency said that his return to PDP was not about elections but to join his people to chart a new way for his state, Bauchi and Nigeria.
Dogara said that he left PDP for the APC believing that he was teaming up with spirited people to build a new Nigeria, but the APC does not trust those that joined the party from the PDP.
He said that as part of the team that built APC in Bauchi, he could say that the ruling party had not fulfilled a single promise that was made.
Dogara said that though some people were happy with him being in the APC, he was in a situation where he had to clear his conscience, saying, “I would rather be hated for who I am than be loved for who I am not”.
“So, I have decided to come back to my original root because the truth is that when we went into APC after the general elections, there was never an occasion in which we were not reminded that we do not belong.
“When there are discussions, you will hear reference to the fact that those who joined us from the PDP are our problems. So, that discussion will end from today since we have left.
“So, I have decided to join my brothers, members of this great party, the PDP, so that we can chart a new frontier in our state of Bauchi and for our dear nation Nigeria.
“So, I am here not because they have denied me ticket to contest in APC. And I am not bothered about contesting election; what bothers me is the state of my state. The situation in which our people are and the state of this country.
“So, even if you give me a ticket to work in a situation where my conscience is totally not aligned with, to be candid, I cannot function effectively.
“So, I am here, I have picked a nomination form. For those who say they would retire me from politics, to show them boldly that this is where I am.
“Anybody who thinks he will retire me from politics, I am waiting for him in the constituency. In case they don’t know, its Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa Federal Constituency. Let them come.”
Dogara, who said he was still in shock said he would on another occasion discuss why he left APC.
“I will speak on that maybe at another occasion because I must tell you that I am still shocked.
“So, when I recover from my shock, I will now tell my story in a way that is devoid of sentiments so that people can clearly understand the reason why I am taking the decision that leads me to the PDP today. I will certainly do that”
The Party National Chairman, Uche Secondus welcomed Dogara back to PDP, commended his brave decision saying his return is like a house owner who travelled and came back home.
Secondus, represented by National Deputy Chairman (South) – Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, said that all the problems that caused Dogara’s exist from PDP were fully addressed.
“The PDP is now re-branded and repositioned. We have the hope to reclaim our mandate and return to Aso Villa, come May 29, 2019.”
He is no loss to us -APC
Reacting, the All Progressives Congress said that it was not disturbed by the effective defection of Speaker Yakubu Dogara to the Peoples Democratic Party, saying the top lawmaker has no political value to be considered a loss.
APC spokesperson Yekini Nabena said hours after the news broke that the speaker had quietly purchased form to run on the platform of the major opposition party, that “It is not a surprise to us, we already know that he has been working with the PDP.”
The news came a day after Dogara assured his constituents at a rally in Abuja that he would run for a fourth House term, but he did not disclose under which party and no political party’ logo was visible on the placards unfurled by his supporters at the gathering.
He did not formally announce his resignation from the APC or defection to the PDP before picking up the form, an arrangement that some political observers said on Thursday morning was rather unusual for a high-profile politician of his status.
“We now have to be patient and see what exactly informed his decision to take such a high-profile move in such a low-profile manner,” said political analyst Shola Olubanjo.
Dogara has long been expected to leave the APC like scores of federal lawmakers who were locked in bitter and prolonged political rivalry with their governors across the country. More than 50 senators and representatives defected to opposition parties at the height of the wave in July, an exercise that proportionately benefited the PDP.
Senate President Bukola Saraki also defected at the time, a decision that seriously angered the APC and exposed him to impeachment and removal threats.
Although both the party and President Muhammadu Buhari dismissed Saraki’s defection as inconsequential — and that it was, in fact, a desirable result of a deliberate strategy aimed at driving out “corrupt elements” within its ranks — the party still threatened to sue the former Kwara State governor for a slew of anti-party offences.
Nabena said the APC would not expend much energy on Dogara because it might not be worth it.
“He is not a loss to us. Even if we give him the ticket he would lose on ground. He is not even on ground in the first place,” Nabena said. “Those kinds of people we call them Abuja politicians.”
“He is not a problem as far as I am concerned. Yakubu Dogara has no electoral value in the APC,” the spokesperson emphasised.
Dogara’s exit would be celebrated by supporters of Governor Mohammed Abubakar in Bauchi State, with whom the speaker has been having political confrontation for about two years.
Although Bauchi heavily leans towards the APC, the top lawmaker is expected to easily retain his seat, spurred by unique demography of his Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency, which has a high population of Christians in a Muslim-majority state.
Punch/Premium Times
