Defection: Declare Dogara’s Seat Vacant – PDP Urges Reps

…Set to commence his recall process.

BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – There are strong indications that the electorates of Bogoro /Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency particularly members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are set to commence recall process on the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara for defecting from the PDP to the APC.

A chieftain of the PDP, Mallam Bibi Dogo, who gave the indication on Monday, said that the people of the area have put machinery in motion for the recall, adding that the process would soon commence in earnest.

Dogo said this is because the people said that they would not condone “political indiscipline,” and therefore charged the House of Representatives to declare the seat of Dogara vacant saying that his defection lacked cogent reason and did not follow constitutional provisions for defection.

These were contained in a statement in which Dogo further said that the defection of Dogara was pure case of political indiscipline, stressing that the people of ​Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa, who elected him on the platform of the PDP are no longer comfortable being ‘totally eclipsed’ in the House.” ​

Dogo further said; “They don’t know any convincing reason why he defected to the APC. He didn’t consult them before his defection. We hereby call on the Reps leadership to quickly declare Dogara’s seat vacant to enable the constituents to elect a capable replacement”.

The PDP chieftain expressed disbelief on the reasons given by Dogara in a letter sent to his ward Chairman saying that they are nothing but flimsy excuses, because the alleged money is N3.6 not N4.6 and ​a contract was awarded for the purchase of Vehicles and Dogara is one of the beneficiary of the vehicles.

According to Dogo; “It was COVID-19 that delayed the conduct of the Local Government election and a date has been fixed by the State independent Electoral Commission for October. Everybody knows that the Governor is from a royal family who has great respect for traditional institutions. ​

“It was a shameful act for Dogara, who dumped APC in 2019 elections to so quickly return to pick the same broom he said was not sweeping well and alleged that there were talks from many quarters that Dogara’s return to APC was initiated to cover himself from the mess of NDDC that is now booming”.

He noted that Dogara made three defections within five years that include having moved from PDP to APC ahead of the 2015 general elections and moved again from APC to PDP ahead of 2019 general election and now from PDP to APC.

Dogo concluded saying; “His jumping from one party to another smacks of political indiscipline but you know that a rolling stone gathers no moss. Unfortunately, he lacks the political discipline to be trusted with any public office in Bogoro, Dass, Tafawa Balewa. How can you trust a man whose only political antecedent is jumping from one party to another?”