A chieftain of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State, Mallam Bibi Dogo, has asked the leadership of the House of Representatives to declare the Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency seat vacant following the defection of former Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, from PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dogara, who defected from APC to PDP in November 2018, returned the party last week.
His defection was announced by Governor Mai Mala Buni, who is chairman APC Caretaker Committee/Extraordinary National Convention, last Friday after he led the former Speaker to meet President Muhammad Buhari at the State House, Abuja.
Reacting to the defection in a statement he issued and made available to DAILY POST in Bauchi, Dogo described Dogara’s defection as political indiscipline.
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The PDP chieftain stated that the people of Bogoro, Dass and Tafawa Balewa federal constituency who elected Dogara on the platform of PDP were no longer comfortable being “totally eclipsed” in the House.
According to Dogo, the constituents do not know any convincing reason why their elected Representative in the National Assembly defected to APC as Dogara did not consult them before his defection.
“I hereby call on the House of Representatives leadership to quickly declare Dogara’s seat vacant to enable the constituents elect a capable replacement,” the PDP chieftain stated.
In view of Dogara’s inability to consult his constituents before defecting to APC, Dogo stated that the constituents would soon commence process for Dogara’s recall, declaring that, “the people will not condone political indiscipline.”
Dogo submitted that the reasons stated by Dogara in the resignation letter he sent to his PDP ward chairman are nothing but flimsy excuses.
According to Dogo, because the Governor the alleged money is 3.6 not 4.6 and a contract was awarded for the purchase of vehicles, adding that Dogara is one of the beneficiaries of the vehicles.
He stated that the outbreak of Covid-19 delayed the conduct of local government council elections in the state, adding that in spite of the pandemic, the Bauchi State Independent Electoral Commission has fixed October to conduct the elections.
On the issue of lack of respect for traditional rulers raised by Dogara in his letter, Dogo stated that it is a known fact by everybody Governor Bala Adbulkadir Mohammed came from a royal family and as such has great respect to traditional institutions.
Dogo alleged that there were talks from many quarters that Dogara’s return to APC was initiated to cover himself from the mess of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) probe.
He stated that Dogara had made three defections in recent times, having moved from PDP to APC ahead of the 2015 general elections, moved again from APC to PDP ahead of 2019 general election and now moved again from PDP to APC.
“His jumping from party to party smacks of political indiscipline but you know that a rolling stone gathers no moss.
“Unfortunately too, he lacks the political discipline to be trusted with any public office in Bogoro, Dass, Tafawa Balewa. How can you trust a man whose only political antecedent is jumping from one party to another?” Dogo queried.
DAILY POST