Bauchi: Dogara moves to stop Mohammed’s second-term bid

Immediate past speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has vowed to lead a coalition of different interest and political groups to stop the second term bid of Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State.

Though a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dogara has since pitched tent with the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Air Marshall Sadiq Baba Abubakar (retd).

A statement from his office on Wednesday stated that notable amongst the political heavyweights and leaders in the coalition included second Republic minister and elder statesman, Alhaji Bello Kirfi, another PDP chieftain, Senator Suleiman Nazif, Senator Isa Hamma Misau, Hon. Abdulmumin Kudak, Hon. Mohammed Sani Abdu and Hon. Yakubu Abdullahi Wowo.

The statement reads “in 2019, Dogara as sitting Speaker led a similar coalition that ousted Barrister Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar of the APC as Bauchi governor.

“Shortly after his emergence as Governor, Bala Mohammed fell out with most of the political stalwarts that came together and supported his election.

“He was accused of reneging on the political agreements reached before his election and corruption including diversion of local government funds non-payment of workers salaries, pension among others.

“The former Speaker had supported and delivered his two proteges- Shehu Buba and Jafaru Leko in the APC who were elected as Senator and member of the House of Representatives respectively.

“He had said that all his candidates except the Presidential are in the APC.

“For the past weeks, he has been leading campaign of the APC candidate, Air Marshall Abubakar (rtd) across the length and breath of Bauchi State where he described the four years of Governor Bala Mohammed as a disaster to the people of Bauchi State”.

The statement also quoted Dogara as saying that “I am supporting candidates not parties” when asked by journalists whether he had returned to the APC.

(Vanguard)