2019: Don’t run to avoid defeat, APC tells Dogara

Defection is no House matter, says spokesman

From the All Progressives Congress (APC) has come a piece of advice for House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara — he should not recontest his seat. “A humiliating defeat” awaits him, the party said.

Reacting to the defection of the Speaker to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Acting National Organising Secretary Yekini Nabena said it was not surprising Dogara joined the opposition in view of his anti-party activities in the National Assembly.

He said such activities became more glaring when the PDP won his local government of Bogoro during the recently concluded senatorial by-election in Bauchi State.

Nabena said: “We have received several media requests for a reaction to the purported defection of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to one of the opposition political parties, as reported in the media.

“In reacting, a recent comment by President Muhammadu Buhari aptly sums Dogara’s reported defection: The weakest people whose senses of expectation do not align with our vision have exited our party.”

“Dogara’s reported defection has not come to us as a surprise. It was only a matter of time, judging by Dogara’s anti-party antics in the National Assembly where in connivance with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, he exploited all available avenues to sabotage and undermine the APC-led executive.

“Dogara’s anti-party activities which enabled one of the opposition Party’s sole victory in Bogoro Local Government Area (Dogara’s council) during the recent Bauchi South Senatorial bye-election won by the APC is another pointer, among several others.

“Indeed, all politics is local. As a party, we empathise with Dogara on his confusion and despair over his bleak political future given the fact that he is not on ground and a political paperweight in his home Bauchi state.

“In his emergence as Speaker, Dogara was merely used by his political master to achieve their selfish political ends at the time. They have since moved on to pursue their individual political aspirations and left Dogara in the cold.

“We would advise Dogara against his ill-advised decision to recontest his House of Representatives seat under the opposition party he is linked with because a crushing and humiliating defeat surely awaits him.

“As a party, we remain united and committed to our progressives ideologies. We urge party faithful to consolidate on our strengths and collectively go into the 2019 general elections as a united and strong political fighting force to sustain the Change Agenda we are implementing for the benefit of Nigerians.”