The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara not to re-contest the House of Representative seat on the platform of the opposition party as โa humiliating defeatโ awaits him.
Reacting to the purported defection of the Speaker to the Peopleโs Democratic Party (PDP), Acting National Organising Secretary, Yekini Nabena said it was not a surprise if the Speaker decide to join the opposition in view of his anti-party activities in the National Assembly.
He said the anti-party activities became more glaring when the PDP won his local government of Bogoro during the recently concluded Senatorial election in Bauchi state.
Nabena said โWe have received several media requests for a reaction to the purported defection of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to one of the opposition political parties, as reported in the media.
โIn reacting, a recent comment by President Muhammadu Buhari aptly sums Dogaraโs reported defection: โThe weakest people whose senses of expectation do not align with our vision have exited our Partyโ.
โDogaraโs reported defection has not come to us as a surprise. It was only a matter of time judging by Dogaraโs anti-party antics in the National Assembly where in connivance with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, he exploited all available avenues to sabotage and undermine the APC-led executive.
โDogaraโs anti-party activities which enabled one of the opposition Partyโs sole victory in Bogoro Local Government Area (Dogaraโs council) during the recent Bauchi South Senatorial bye-election won by the APC is another pointer, among several others.
โIndeed, all politics is local. As a Party, we empathise with Dogara on his confusion and despair over his bleak political future given the fact that he is not on ground and a political paperweight in his home Bauchi state.
โIn his emergence as Speaker, Dogara was merely used by his political master to achieve their selfish political ends at the time. They have since moved on to pursue their individual political aspirations and left Dogara in the cold.
โWe would advise Dogara against his ill-advised decision to recontest his House of Representatives seat under the opposition Party he is linked with because a crushing and humiliating defeat surely awaits him.
โAs a Party, we remain united and committed to our Progressives ideologies. We urge Party faithful to consolidate on our strengths and collectively go into the 2019 general elections as a united and strong political fighting force to sustain the Change Agenda we are implementing for the benefit of Nigerians.โ
