ARMSTRONG ALLAHMAGANI, Bauchi
A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has given reasons why he dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dogara, in a letter he wrote to the Chairman of the PDP Bogoro ‘C’ Ward, Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi state dated July 24, 2020, made available to NATIONAL ACCORD on Sunday, said he was officially resigning his membership of the ruling party in the state.
He raised six issues of unfulfillment of campaign promises, mismanagement of resources, lack of respect to elders and traditional rulers in the state, in his letter.
Dogara, who is in his fourth term in the House of Representatives, alleged that N4.6 billion loan collected from a bank by the Bauchi government, was put in the private account of a company, even as he alleged inflation, award and payment of contracts which are done contrary to procurement laws.
He also queried the whereabouts of the local government allocations since Bala Mohammed became governor in May 2019.
According to him, the PDP led administration in Bauchi state during its campaigns promised to conduct LGA elections within six months if elected, but it has failed to do so 14 months after.
He wrote in his letter: “I write to formally intimate you of my decision to resign my membership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). This became necessary because the same reasons why we fought hard in 2019 to effect change 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 instill decent and egalitarian government in our dear state continues.
“Specifically, I intend to ask questions about what has happened to LGA allocations since May 2019? What happened to our campaign promise to conduct LGA elections within six months of the PDP government?
“What happened to the N4.6 billion loan taken from a bank and paid directly into a private company’s account?
“Why are we segmenting salaries and why is payment of salaries of state workers outsourced to a private firm as consultants?
“Why are contracts inflated, awarded and payment of mobilization done in violation of extant rules on procurement?
“Why are our highly revered traditional rulers and elders treated with odium contrary to the guarantee we have during the campaign that such will not happen under a PDP government?”
The Lawmaker who represents Dass/Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives stated that he will be acussed of being disloyal to the PDP if he remained in the party and raised such issues.
“Mr. Chairman, you will agree with me that I cannot raise these issues and many more questions without a charge of disloyalty leveled 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,” he stated.
Recall that Dogara led a coalition of political forces in Bauchi state who fought very hard and defeated the then governor, Mohammed Abubakar of the APC and ensured that Bala Mohammed is brought into power in 2019.
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