Bauchi: We’ll Only Accept Decent Election Defeat – Dogara Declares
BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, BAUCHI – Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara on Saturday declared that his party, All Progressives Congress (APC), in Bauchi State will only accept result of the gubernatorial election if it is credible and just by all ramifications.
He specifically said that if the malpractices overwhelmed what the known as decency in terms of electoral process, he would advise his candidate to stand up and challenge it and fight for Bauchi people until the mandate if stolen, is restored.
This was as Dogara expressed confidence that the people of the state will vote out Governor Bala Mohammed having failed them in the last four years.
Dogara, who stated these during a chat with Journalists at his hometown of Gwarangah, Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State shortly after casting his vote at Polling Unit 007, said he expected the people of Bauchi State to vote out Governor Mohammed.
He said; “Well, let me say my expectation is what we have always done in Bauchi. Nobody teaches us how to liberate ourselves from the grip of bad government and this Peoples Democratic Party in the State, is one of them”.
Dogara alleged that the Governorship and State Assembly Elections in Bauchi State were being marred by vote-buying, adding that massive vote buying was going on across polling units in the state.
He said; “We have briefed the security operatives about the development. From the information we have received, there is massive vote buying in Alkaleri and in Darazo. The same thing is happening in some local government in Bauchi North. I hope the EFCC and security agents will be able to deal with it so we can have a free and fair election.
“We want to set a precedent that once we elect a governor and he is not delivering, we have maximum of four years until we find someone who delivers, someone whose priority is the workers, someone whose priority is the economy of the state and someone whose priority is the transformation of the state. I don’t see Bauchi people endorsing failure,” he said.
Dogara also said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Air Marshal Saddique Abubakar (rtd), who he is supporting will only accept the outcome of the governorship election in the state if it is free and fair.
In his words; “We know how elections are conducted,
once the election is free and credible, we shouldn’t have any problem. Everybody should accept because the people ultimately determine who wins.
“We will assess the situation. If the vote buying is too bad or intimidation is bad as we have seen in one polling unit in Tafawa Balewa where somebody imported thugs and they even deflated the tires of INEC vehicle. The guy who imported the thug belongs to a support group of the Governor.
“So, it will be foolishness to accept the outcome of the election if it is mired. That would not translate to the will of the people and it will not give the government the legitimacy to rule. We want a situation where Bauchi people will be the ones to decide who will govern them,” he said.
