Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has explained that he left the All Progressives Congress (APC) because the party was not committed to keeping the promise it made to Nigerians at both state and federal levels.
Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara submits his PDP House of Reps Nomination & Expression of Interest Forms for 2019 elections to the PDP National Organising Secretary, Col. Austin Akobundu (rtd) on 20th Sept. 2018
Speaking when he submitted his nomination and expression of interest forms at the PDP secretariat in Abuja, he also noted that the APC’s initial agenda of bringing positive change to Nigeria had been thwarted by “the rebelliously wayward sense of entitlement of some people.”
It would be recalled that last week, his constituents purchased the PDP nomination and expression of interest forms for him and urged him to dump the ruling party following high level of injustices meted against them in Bauchi state.
Denouncing the notion that he left for PDP because he was not sure of securing a return ticket in the 2019 elections, Hon Dogara said he was moved to defect because he could not continue to function within a system that his conscience was not in alignment with and where he was not welcome.
He added that he was one of the drafters of PDP’s first constitution, and that the party is a place where he feels the dream of making Nigeria better for all can be achieved.
Hon Dogara said, “For some of us who are here who are wondering, because it has been said that I cannot move from where I was to, perhaps, any other political party, that discussion has been ongoing, so today’s event marks the end of all speculations .
To begin with, I was a founding member of this party, which is what a lot of people do not know. I worked with Professor Yohanna Madaki of blessed memory, as a junior counsel, and we helped to put together the first PDP Constitution. For anybody who doubts that, I have the rough working sheets with me today, I can produce it.
“So, this is home to me but on account of certain developments, I had to leave the party for another party for Nigeria’s nationhood, then believing that we were teaming with spirited people to build a new Nigeria.”
Going further, he explained that in his home state Bauchi, the party has failed to deliver on all the promises made by him and others who campaigned across the state for the governor to be elected.
The speaker stated that only those who have lost their conscience will support the current order in Bauchi State because APC has not fulfilled a single promise made in 2015, with the situation on the national scene not much different.
“Well, I do not want to be a prophet of lamentation. I am not known to be lamenting too much but everybody know where we are, particularly in Bauchi State, all the stakeholders are here. It will take someone who has lost his conscience to still support the order that is in the state. I was part of the people that built the APC in the state, I went round the state campaigning for the APC and I can tell you that we have not fulfilled a single promise that we made.
“Nationally, we all know what is happening. I will speak to that, maybe, in another occasion I will tell my story in a way devoid of sentiments, so that the people can clearly understand the reason why I am taking this decision that leads me to the PDP today, and I will certainly do that. But permit me to say that in the APC that we are leaving, they are not all devils, there are wonderful people in APC but they are equally some people who have what I will call a rebelliously wayward sense of entitlement and these really are the problems with the APC.
“When it serves their interests, they say the party is supreme, when it doesn’t serve their interest, they castigate the party, including the leadership of the party.
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