- Former Speaker Tenders Resignation To PDP Ward Chairman
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has broken his silence on why he defected back to the All Progressives Congress(APC) from the People’s Democratic Party(PDP).
Dogara, who attributed his defection to myriad of factors, said the chief of the reasons he jumped ship was the alleged failure of governance in Bauchi, where he hails from.
The New Diplomat had reported how Mai Mala Buni, Yobe state governor who doubles as chairman of the caretaker committee of the APC, broke the news of Dogara’s defection to journalists after he led the former speaker to a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday.
In his letter of resignation, addressed to the Bogoro ‘C’ ward chairman of the PDP, Dogara fired a flurry of questions at the Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed.
Bala Mohammed, believed to have clinched the governorship seat partly through Dogara’s influence, was accused of not living up to expectation by Dogara.
Dogara said the problems that prompted him and the governor to wrest the reins of power from the former governor of Bauchi and his allies are still bedeviling the state and even festering.
He said it would be hypocritical of him to keep mute during Muhammed’s stay in office, having spoken truth to power in Bauchi under the administrations of Isa Yuguda and Mohammed Abubakar, former governors of the state.
The lawmaker currently representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa federal constituency said keeping mute will make him “the most irresponsible and unprincipled politician in Bauchi.”
The letter read in part, “I write to intimate you of my decision to resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“This became necessary because the same reasons why we fought hard in 2019 to effect changes in the Governance of our dear state are festering now.
“I intend to bring these issues to the front burners once again as the fight to install decent and egalitarian government in our dear state continues.
“Specifically, I intend to ask questions about the following:
“a. What has happened to LGA allocations since May 2019?
“b. What happened to our campaign promise to conduct LGA elections within six months of the PDP government?
“c. What happened to the N4.6 billion loan taken from a bank and paid directly into an private company’s account?
“d. Why are we segmenting salaries and why is payment of salaries of state workers outsourced to a private firm as consultants?
“e. Why are contracts inflated, awarded and payment of mobilisation done in violation of extant rules on procurement?
“f. Why are our highly revered Traditional Rulers and Elders treated with odium contrary to the guarantee we gave during the campaign that such will not happen under a PDP government,” Dogara wrote.
He, however, stressed that he could be charged with disloyalty if he were to remain in the party while raising the issues.
“Mr. Chairman, you will agree with me that I cannot raise these issues and many more questions without a charge of disloyalty levelled against me if I were to remain a member of the PDP.
“I cannot also fail to raise these questions now, having raised similar ones during the administrations of Governors Isa Yuguda and Mohammed A. Abubakar. If I abdicate this responsibility on the altar of partisan loyalty, I will be the most irresponsible and unprincipled politician in Bauchi State.
“Thus, by this letter, I have resigned my membership of the PDP to enable me keep faith with my principle of fighting for good governance in our Dear State.
“Thank you for your kind considerations,” the letter concluded.
Dogara, who had first dumped the PDP ahead of the 2015 general elections for the APC, again dumped the APC for PDP in 2018 ahead of last year’s elections in the country.
