The immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has explained why he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He gave the explanation in his letter of resignation dated July 24, 2020, and addressed to the Bogoro ‘C’ Ward Chairman of the PDP in Bauchi, his home-state.
Dogara revealed that one of the reasons for his exit from the PDP was what he described as the breakdown of governance in the state.
He decried that such was happening under the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed whom he “helped install” as a governor in the 2019 general elections.
The former speaker also raised questions on issues relating to the alleged failure of governance in Bauchi.
He, however, stressed that he cannot successfully ask questions about those issues without being accused of disloyalty if he were to remain in the PDP.
Dogara noted that he had taken up the responsibility of telling the truth to power in Bauchi under the administrations of former Governors Isa Yuguda and Mohammed Abubakar
He believes abdicating the same duty under the present administration will make him become the most irresponsible and unprincipled politician in the state.
NASS Return, But Not As Speaker
The former speaker announced his return to the APC about a year and six months after he joined the PDP for reasons he did not disclose as of the time.
He made the announcement while presiding over a plenary on January 29, 2019, at the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
Following his exit from the APC, Dogara went ahead to contest for re-election as the lawmaker representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency on the platform of the PDP in the last elections.
Although he succeeded in his bid to return to the National Assembly, he was replaced by the former Leader of the House, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, as the Speaker of the 9th Assembly.
President Muhammadu Buhari with APC Caretaker Committee Chairman and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, and Mr Yakubu Dogara at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on July 24, 2020.
About a year and half later, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the APC and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, said Dogara had returned to the APC following a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday last week.
The former speaker confirmed the statement of the Yobe State governor in the letter below:
24/07/2020
The Chairman
People’s Democratic Party,
Bogoro ‘C’ Ward,
Bogoro LGA,
Bauchi State.
LETTER OF RESIGNATION OF MY MEMBERSHIP OF THE PDP
Above subject matter refers.
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 a 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?
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.
Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara
