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Barrister Kefas Magaji flanked by some of his kinsmen addresses journalists
By Akanji Olowolodu, Bauchi
The immediate Speaker of the House of Representatives, Barrister Yakubu Dogara has continued to receive political bashing for pitching his political tent against the Bauchi State Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir in the build up to the gubernatorial election in which the Governor is seeking a second term.
Yakubu Dogara had declared support for the gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar rtd calling on the people of the state to vote Bala Mohammed out on Saturday.
However, the political war between the duo took a new dimension on Tuesday as his kinsmen from Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa LGAs have predicted his political demise in not a distant future.
The kinsmen who trooped to the NUJ Press Center to address journalists in reaction to Yakubu Dogara’s recent interview with a local online Hausa medium called ‘Labarin Daga Bauchi’, where the former Speaker explained the reasons he fell apart with Governor Bala Mohammed and decided to endorse the APC Gubernatorial candidate, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar for the 2023 Governorship and State Assembly Elections.
Barr. Kefas Magaji who spoke on behalf of the Concerned Stakeholders from Zaar land and other ethnic groups in Yakubu Dogara’s constituency, opined that the former Speaker has no political value to add to the APC Gubernatorial candidate.
According to him, “He no longer has any support base. He is a political liability hunting for money everywhere. He will not add value to your campaign. All his ranting in your team is to justify the money he will collect from you.”
Kefas Magaji added that, “In the House of Representatives Election held on 25th February 2023, his APC candidate lost in all the polling units in Tafawa Balewa town and also in Dogara’s polling unit in Gwarangah of Bogoro Local Government Area, where he voted.”
He further said that the Zaar people and other ethnic groups in Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa LGAs are truly satisfied with the performance of Governor Bala Mohammed in the last four years, and are prepared to vote him again en mass this coming Saturday the 18th March 2023.”
The Legal Practitioner also said that the political demise of the former Speaker is near because he has formed the notorious habit of fighting every Governor of the state for selfish reasons.
According to him, “Since 2007 when Yakubu Dogara was first elected, he has fought with every State Governor once elected. He fought with Mal Isa Yuguda, Gov. M. A. Abubakar and now Sen. Bala Abdukadir Mohammed (Kauran Bauchi).”
Kefas Magaji, who lost his bid for the Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency to Yakubu Dogara’s preffered candidate, Jafaru Gambo Leko, described the former Speaker’s interview with Labari Daga Bauchi as aimed at misleading people of Bauchi State and in particular the Zaar and other ethnic groups towards the Saturday, 18th of March 2023.
He said that, “Hon Dogara spoke dishonourably, when he called on the good people of Bauchi State to come out en mass in order to vote for Air Marshall Baba Sadique Abubakar (Rtd) in the said Elections.”
He lamented that, “In an attempt to substantiate his appeal, he raised childish arguments as the misdeeds of the current Governor. He started by claiming that he brought our amiable Governor to office in 2019.”
“This is completely false. He rather attached himself to Senator Bala Mohammed in order to get the PDP ticket and get re-elected in 2019, because he was Speaker of House of Representatives on the platform of APC, and the APC government refused to give him ticket for the same House of Representatives due to recalcitrance,” he stressed.
Kefas Magaji added, “In fact, under that Government, the then governor, Barr. M.A Abubakar had vowed that he would retire Yakubu Dogara from politics, but for the shelter he found in the PDP which served as his saving grace.”
He added that, “It is important to remind Dogara that our Governor was a Senator and Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and therefore had the means of marrying 4 wives if he wanted. Dogara failed to tell the good people of Bauchi State how they suffered bad governance as a result of his marrying a white lady.”
“This demonstrates the crass hatred and pettiness Dogara has for our Governor.
Again, Dogara stated that the Governor is building a personal house in Bauchi that is bigger than any other house in Nigeria.”
Kefas Magaji said that, “He forgot that Kaura has built so many roads (both township and intercity), hospitals, schools, renovated all Local Government Secretariats in the State, built houses in all the Emirates, build houses for District heads and is building a new Government House to the chagrin of everyone in Bauchi.”
Knowing the projects the Governor has executed in the last 4 years, people are always asking where is Kaura getting his money to transform Bauchi. Kaura is free to build whatever he wants to build in Bauchi, we know that our State resources are judiciously utilized for the benefit of Bauchi people,” he said.
He also said that,”Yakubu Dogara may claim ignorance of the township roads in Bauchi, Azare and Misau and other major transformative projects that have been undertaken in Bauchi State. He may also be claiming ignorance of roads connecting towns and villages spread across the State including: Boi to Tapshin; Bogoro-Lusa-Malar; Burga to Yelwan Duguri; Tilde to Dass; Dass to Bununu and Bununu Township Roads, all within his Federal Constituency.”
“We are not surprised, because since he was elected in 2019, he has never toured round his constituency in order to know what are their challenges because he has diverted his constituency project to his farm in Uke-Keffi, Abuja,” he concluded.
