Constituents kick against Dogara’s defection to APC

By Musa Adamu

Large number of people from Tafawa Balewa, Bogoro, and Dass Federal Constituency on Tuesday paid a solidarity visit on Bauchi State Governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, at the Government House in Bauchi, the state capital.
The visiting people from the constituency, which the former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, is representing in the National Assembly, told the governor that they were not in support of Dogara’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The visiting Tafawa Balewa, Bogoro, Dass constituents led by the chairperson, Bauchi State Orphans and Vulnerable Children Agency (BASOVCA), Mrs. Hassana Arkila, dissociated themselves from the defection and declared that Dogara was on his own in his latest defection.
The visitors, including stakeholders across party lines and religious leaders, said they are firmly in support of the governor in his quest to take the state to greater heights.
Receiving the people, who came to show solidarity with him, Governor Mohammed expressed surprise with the former Speaker’s defection, saying that there was no basis for him to leave PDP.
According to the governor, Dogara lied about his reasons for defecting to APC, saying that, “Dogara is a liar. I pity him because it has ended for him politically.”
Governor Mohammed said that he did not do anything wrong to warrant Dogara to leave the party which provided the platform for him to be elected for the fourth time to the House of Representatives.
“What did I do to him that I deserved this after serving him with my life?” Governor Mohammed asked.
He added that since he decided to contest for the governorship election in the state, he had entrusted Dogara and never hid anything from him.
The governor, however, said he was not surprised that the former Speaker betrayed his trust, saying that, “who am I for him not to betray when he betrayed his own brother, Professor Elias Bogoro, who they are both from the same place.”
According to him, instead of giving flimsy excuses for his exit from PDP, Dogara ought to have told the whole world that he ran away because of the constituency projects money amounting to about N17billion he diverted.
The governor said that APC was shameless to have received Dogara back to its fold after he had not only abused the party but also abused President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Dogara even abused Buhari but it is a shame for the President to accept him back after all he did,” Governor Mohammed said.
He, however, warned Dogara to be careful because Buhari does not allow a thief to go scot-free.
In spite of what he termed as betrayal by Dogara, the governor, fondly called Kaura Bauchi, declared he wished the former Speaker well in his endeavours.
“I pray that he should open his eyes. I pray for his success where he is.”