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Tag: Hon. Yakubu Dogara

  • I Don’t Have A Party For Now, I’m Supporting Candidates – Dogara

    I Don’t Have A Party For Now, I’m Supporting Candidates – Dogara

    Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara says he does not belong to a political party for now but he only supports candidates across party lines for elective positions in the 2023 general elections.

    Dogara, who represents Dass/Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro Federal Constituency in the green chamber, spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.

    He also said the fact that he supports candidates of different parties for various elective seats does not mean he is an “unstable character” as opined by his detractors.

    Dogara was a known stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the presidential primary of the ruling party. The former speaker was one of those who strongly opposed the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the party and subsequently went public to endorse the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar against APC’s Bola Tinubu.

    However, Dogara has opposed the reelection of Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed of the PDP and expressed support for the APC governorship candidate in the March 18 election in Bauchi, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who is Nigeria’s former Chief of Air Staff.

    Asked on Wednesday whether he is a PDP or an APC member, Dogara said he is not politically instable.

    He said, “I am supporting candidates; I am not doing any political party for now, I am supporting candidates.

    “Everybody knows that I backed Atiku Abubakar for Presidency for reasons I told the whole world but in Bauchi State, before primaries were concluded, I had supported the aspiration Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar who is the current APC governorship candidate and I have my candidates for House of Assembly in my constituency.

    “I have Senatorial and House of Representatives candidates that I helped midwife them into those positions, and I can’t abandon them for political stability.”

  • We Were Mates In Law School, But Not In Politics – Dogara Knocks Keyamo

    We Were Mates In Law School, But Not In Politics – Dogara Knocks Keyamo

    Yakubu Dogara, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has reacted to Festus Keyamo’s description of him as a “political prostitute.”

    He said this in a tweet on Sunday.

    Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, and spokesman for the Tinubu-Shettima Campaign Council, had in a tweet on Sunday morning referred to Dogara as a “political prostitute, wanderer and back-stabber.”

    He was reacting to Dogara’s statement in which he referred to President Muhammadu Buhari’s endorsement of Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, at a campaign in Nasarawa State, as a mockery.

    “My brother and law schoolmate, @YakubDogara, this tweet is beneath you. You are actually pained by the support of PMB for @officialABAT, two leaders who have stayed true to their beliefs and causes, unlike the political prostitute, wanderer & back-stabber that you’ve always been,” Keyamo wrote.

    Responding to the tweet, Dogara said, “My brother, I have a name for you but because it’s not a good one, I won’t say it as a cost of friendship. Yes, we were mates at Law School but I am waiting for you to win a councilorship election first so we can be mates in politics. Learn to punch below your weight category.”

  • Dogara dumped by kinsmen, support Tinubu-Shetima Ticket

    Dogara dumped by kinsmen, support Tinubu-Shetima Ticket

    Hundreds of constituents of a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Thursday declared their support for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, saying the Muslim-Muslim ticket should not be a factor in next year’s election.

    Our correspondent reports that Dogara, who represents the Dass/Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, has been one of the leading voices in the country opposing the same-faith ticket put up by the APC.

    Not satisfied with his party’s decision, Dogara dumped the APC and joined the Peoples Democratic Party, where he expressed support for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

    But his kinsmen from the three local government areas of Dass, Tafawa Balewa, and Bogoro, which make up his constituency, held a rally to show their support for Tinubu; his running mate, Kashim Shettima; the governorship candidate of the APC, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (retd.); and others candidates of the APC in the state.

    The supporters, under the umbrella of “Bogoro, Dass, and Tafawa Balewa Christian Support Group for APC,” said they rallied to tell their presidential candidate and the party that they would go house-to-house to mobilise support ahead of the general elections.

    Speaking at the event, one of the organisers of the rally and former aspirant of Dass/Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro, Dr Godfrey Manasseh, said their decision to support Tinubu was because of his achievements in Lagos State when he was governor.

    He said, “We are here today as Christians from this constituency to declare that we have decided collectively to support the Jagaban Nigeria. We have endorsed all candidates, including Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

    “Our resolution is borne out of several factors, a few of which include the fact that Jagaban, as the governor of Lagos State, was able to raise men who are Nigerians. Jagaban alone is an institution.

    “He also has a wife who is a Christian, and he is a Muslim.”

    Manasseh added that “APC allowed us to produce the Speaker of the House of Representatives; under the APC, this constituency has gotten many projects, including the Air Force University, roads, and others; we also had our brother and father, Prof. Elias Bogoro, become the Executive Secretary of the TETFund.”

  • Dogara Formally Dumps APC For PDP

    Dogara Formally Dumps APC For PDP

    Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Dogara was received into the party during the presidential campaign by the party’s presidential candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in the nation’s commercial capital, Lagos State.

    This comes 48 hours after a group led by Dogara, the Northern Leaders Consultative Forum adopted Atiku as the preferred presidential candidate for the 2023 election.

    On December 2, the group consisting of Christian and Muslim religious and political leaders in the north said after evaluation of all the presidential candidates, Abubakar is “the best”.

  • Babachir/Dogara Part Ways, As Group Endorses Atiku for President

    Babachir/Dogara Part Ways, As Group Endorses Atiku for President

    By: Politics Editor

    Barely two weeks after a group of Christian Northerners led by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, endorsed Peter Obi, a similar group under former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara, has as adopted candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
    This development is coming at a time when Lawal and Dogara, who initiated the initial protest against the Muslim/Muslim ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC seems to have fallen apart.
    Our correspondent reports that, while Babachir Lawan and his group adopted the position of the Middle Belt Forum, MBF,which endorsed the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, Dogara and his group had subtly disagreed, a situation which informed the latest decision yesterday.
    Yakubu Dogara’s group, under the auspices of the Northern Leaders Inter Faith Consultative Forum comprising christians and moslems, adopted the PDP’s candidate, in a voice vote, after the report of its technical committee was presented to its members at a public forum on Friday in Abuja.

    The report signed by the chairman of the Northern Leaders Technical Criteria Committee, Hon. Mohammed Kumaila and Secretary, Nunghe Kele, SAN, was presented by former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba.

    Achuba said, “after a careful evaluation of all the issues highlighted above, we hereby recommend for the adoption of the PDP, to all lovers of democracy in Nigeria, for the 2023 presidential election.

    However, this should be subject to getting the necessary assurance from the party to run an all-inclusive government, details of which shall be discussed with the leadership of the party in the nearest future”, Achuba read.

    The Northern Leaders Inter-Faith Consultative Dialogue had on October 8 in Abuja, set up a sub-committee mandated to draw up a criteria to serve as a guide to the Northern Leaders Consultative Forum, in its quest to adopt and support one of the leading political parties in the 2023 presidential elections.

    “After careful consultations, research and brain-storming, the subcommittee came up with the following analysis of the criteria used to arrive at and recommended a Pan-Nigeria platform for the main Committee’s consideration, endorsement and adoption.

    Amongst the criteria used in selecting their choice of endorsement include factors such as presidential experience; requisite track record in public service, business and education; evidence of national penetration; religious and ethnic balance.

    Other criteria include; pan-Nigeria and tolerance, reasonable popularity, physical fitness for the rigours of state as well as the existing structures of the selected political parties and current candidates for 2023 according to INEC records.

    According to the report, Atiku came tops from a 15 points criteria used in assessing the four leading political parties; APC, PDP, LP and NNPP.

    Atiku, who scored all 15 points criteria was followed by the candidate of the NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who scored 10 points and APC’s Senator Bola Tinubu and LP’s Peter Obi, who had 9 points each.

    Chairman of the Forum, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon, Yakubu Dogara, who presided over the adoption said the group decided to go for a pan Nigeria presidential candidate, following the adoption of a Muslim/Muslim ticket by the APC against massive protest.

    According to Dogara, “what will destroy Nigeria is not ethnicity but religion”, stressing that those passing statement relating to hate must be stopped before they destroy the country.

    Dogara further maintained that same faith ticket does not align with the vision of a united Nigeria because it does not promote a collective sense of belongingness.

    The group noted that since the APC was adamant with its same faith ticket, the group had no other choice than to jettison the APC and look for a party and candidate who represents their desire and expectations for the 2023 general election.

    They therefore enjoined their members to go all out and campaign for the Atiku/Okowa presidential ticket.

  • Dogara, Aggrieved Northern APC Endorse Atiku For 2023

    Dogara, Aggrieved Northern APC Endorse Atiku For 2023

    A splinter group of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North led by the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has adopted the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for the 2023 general elections.

    The group under the platform of the Northern Leaders Consultative Forum comprising Christians and Muslims, adopted the PDP’s candidate, through a voice vote, after the report of its technical committee was presented to its members at a public forum in Abuja yesterday.

    The report signed by the Chairman of the Northern Leaders Technical Criteria Committee, Hon. Mohammed Kumaila and Secretary, Nunghe Kele, SAN, was presented by former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba.

    “After a careful evaluation of all the issues highlighted above, we hereby recommend for the adoption of the PDP, to all lovers of democracy in Nigeria, for the 2023 presidential election.

    According to Achuba, the group’s decision to adopt Atiku as its presidential candidate was not without getting the necessary assurance from the party to run an all-inclusive government, details of which he said shall be discussed with the leadership of the party in the nearest future.

    The Northern Leaders Inter-Faith Consultative Dialogue had on October 8 in Abuja, set up a sub-committee mandated to draw up a criteria to serve as a guide to the Northern Leaders Consultative Forum, in its quest to adopt and support one of the leading political parties in the 2023 presidential elections.

    “After careful consultations, research and brain-storming, the subcommittee came up with the following analysis of the criteria used to arrive at and recommended a Pan-Nigeria platform for the main committee’s consideration, endorsement and adoption.

    “Amongst the criteria used in selecting their choice of endorsement include factors such as presidential experience; requisite track record in public service, business and education; evidence of national penetration; religious and ethnic balance.

    “Other criteria include; pan-Nigeria and tolerance, reasonable popularity, physical fitness for the rigours of state as well as the existing structures of the selected political parties and current candidates for 2023 according to INEC records.”

    According to the report, Atiku came tops from a 15 points criteria used in assessing the four leading political parties; All Progressives Congress (APC), PDP, Labour Party (LP) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

    Atiku, who scored all 15 points criteria was followed by the candidate of the NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who scored 10 points and APC’s Senator Bola Tinubu and LP’s Peter Obi, who both tied on 9 points.

    Chairman of the Forum, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dogara, who presided over the adoption said, said that the group decided to go for a pan Nigeria presidential candidate, following the adoption of a Muslim-Muslim ticket by the APC against massive protest.

    According to Dogara, “what will destroy Nigeria is not ethnicity but religion,” stressing that those passing statements relating to hate must be stopped before they destroy the country.

    Dogara further maintained that the same faith ticket does not align with the vision of a united Nigeria because it does not promote a collective sense of belongingness.

    The group noted that since the APC was adamant with its same faith ticket, the group had no other choice to jettison the APC and look for a party and candidate who present their desire and expectations for the 2023 general elections.

    They therefore enjoined their members to go all out and campaign for the Atiku/Okowa presidential ticket.

  • BREAKING: Hoodlums disregrads curfew, loot ex-Speaker Dogara’s house in Jos

    BREAKING: Hoodlums disregrads curfew, loot ex-Speaker Dogara’s house in Jos

    Hoodlums attacked and looted the house of a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, located near Jos University Teaching Hospital.

    Our correspondent gathered that the hoodlums defied the ongoing curfew imposed by the state government to also invade other buildings in search of COVID-19 palliatives.

    An eyewitness told revealed that Dogara’s house was attacked about 9 am, on Sunday 25-10-2020

    Policemen and other security operatives enforcing the curfew shot to disperse the rampaging youths without success.

    “They broke into the house of the former Speaker and attacked everyone, including Dogara’s brother, and (they) are currently moving anything they see. In the process, the invaders moved several items – tricycles, furniture, electronics, and other valuables – out of the house,” an eyewitness revealed.

    Details later…

  • Dogara Blasts APC, Says He’s Ready To Go To Jail If linked with Hushpuppi

    Dogara Blasts APC, Says He’s Ready To Go To Jail If linked with Hushpuppi

    Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara says he is ready to go to jail if the All Progressives Congress (APC) can establish any form of links or connection between him and Hushpuppi.

    This is coming barely 24 hours after the governing party, on Saturday, through its deputy spokesman, Yekini Nabena called for probe of Dogara, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Senator Dino Melaye.

    The call by the APC followed the arrest of Nigerian alleged internet fraudster, Raymond Igbalodely alias Hushpuppi by the Dubai police and his subsequent extradition to the United States for trial.

    Some pictures of Hushpuppi and notable PDP chieftains had gone viral following the development. This sparked some reactions on social media, including the APC linking Hushpuppi to the PDP chieftains.

    But in a statement made available on Sunday, in Abuja, Dogara, a 2019 ‘Igbere TV Leadership Excellence Awards’ awardee denied any links or connection to the alleged internet fraudster.

    The former speaker said he has agreed to wave his rights for trial and ready to go to jail if the APC can prove its allegations. He, however, wondered why similar allegations were not levelled against some governors of the APC, who had appeared in similar photos with an alleged money launderer, Mompha.

    The statement entitled, “The fatuous and infantile statement by the smellfungus called Yekini Nabena”, signed off and sent to Igbere TV by Turaki Hassan, on behalf of Office of Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara, reads;

    “The statement issued by one Yekini Nabena on behalf of the All Progressives Congress (APC) desparetly seeking to link Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara to suspected cyber criminals on the basis of a group picture taken at a public event, is to say the least; infantile, rash and fatuous.

    “This smellfungus, called Nabena should have known that it is share mindlessness to attempt to execute mischief and blackmail in plain sight before the public some of whom are better informed. Who is that fool that links people to criminal activity simply because they appeared in a group picture at a public event comprising of people from different walks of life?

    *If appearing in a group photograph is what Nabena is now using to establish a link or connection to crimes or alleged criminals then why didnt he issue such a statement in the wake of the arrest of a suspected money launderer by name Ismaila Mustapha, AKA: Mompha whose pictures with notable personalities including some APC Governors are all over the social media? Is Nabena guilty of selective amnesia or share perfidy? Who is Nabena scared of? Who is he trying to fool?

    “For the records, Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara has agreed to wave his right to a trial and go to jail if Nabena establishes any form of links or connection between him and the alleged cyber criminal before the event where the picture was taken and after the event until now. For Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara, that picture was just another picture among the thousands, if not hundred of thousands of such pictures with Nigerians from all walks of life.

    “If the said Nabena is worth his salt, next time he speaks he should speak to issues affecting the welfare of our union which are well known to all discerning Nigerians. Nabena should or ought to know that there is no honour in speaking about group pictures taken at public events when the nation is bleeding and most Nigerian families are struggling and hurting.