An ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has explained why he dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to return to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dogara, who served as Speaker on the platform of the APC, ran to the PDP, along with former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and others before the last general elections.
The ex-Speaker said he returned to the APC because the Governor of his state (Bauchi) Bala Mohammed was repeating the mistake of the previous administration.
Dogara said this in his resignation letter, dated July 24, 2020 which he addressed to the Chairman, PDP, Bogoro Ward ‘C’, in Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
Dogara, who now represents Dass/Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives on the platform of the PDP, said: “I write to formally intimate you of my decision to resign my membership of the People’s Democratic Party.
“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 a burner once again as the fight to instill decent and egalitarian government in our dear state continues.
“Specifically, I intend to ask questions about the following: 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?”
Dogara argued he could be charged for disloyalty should he raise the issues as a PDP member.
“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 added.
