Our Correspondent
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, as“a political paperweight in Bauchi,” saying he is not on the ground in his home state.
The APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yekini Nabena, said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, while reacting to Dogara’s defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“We have received several media requests for a reaction to the purported defection of Dogara from the APC to one of the opposition political parties, as reported in the media.
“In reacting, I want to quote a recent comment by President Muhammadu Buhari, aptly sums up Dogara’s reported defection: “the weakest people whose senses of expectation do not align with our vision have exited our party.
“Indeed, all politics is local; as a party, we empathise with Dogara on his despair over his 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,” he said.
The APC spokesman, however, advised Dogara against his decision to re-contest his House of Representatives seat under the opposition party he was linked with because, according to him, a crushing and humiliating defeat awaits him.
He said as a party, the APC remained united and committed to its progressive ideology, urging APC faithful to consolidate on the party’s strengths and collectively go into the 2019 general elections as a united and strong political fighting force.
This resolve, Nabena said, was critical to sustenance of the change agenda that the party is implementing for the benefit of ordinary Nigerians.
He said Dogara’s reported defection, however, did not come to the APC leadership as a surprise, judging by his anti-party antics in the National Assembly.
He accused the speaker and President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, of exploiting “all available avenues to sabotage and undermine the APC-led executive”.
He further noted that Dogara’s anti-party stance, which allegedly enabled one of the opposition party’s sole victory in Bogoro Local Government Area (Dogara’s council) during the recent Bauchi South Senatorial by-election won by the APC, was another pointer, among several others.