By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara weekend took a swipe of the political skirmishes within the ranks and files of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi with the assurance that he is ready to reconcile with and any parry member who felt aggrieved about him.
The assurance by the House Speaker followed a vituperation by one of his close political allies and member of the Bauchi House of Assembly, Mohammed Aminu Tukur that the rift between members of the National Assembly representing the state, and Governor Mohammed Abubakar and his cronies that include state APC members is irreconcilable.
Tukur said weekend at the Speaker Dogara’s 50th birthday anniversary thanks giving reception held at his Bogoro hometown that, “we would not allow a situation whereby our leader Dogara will be caged to be sold to our adversaries in the party”
It would recalled that APC members in Bauchi shortly after the 2015 general elections engaged in hostilities that broke them into two warring factions of National Assembly members representing the state on one hand, and Governor Abubakar, government and party officials on the other, an acrimony that defied solution.
Hope of reconciliation between the Bauchi APC two warring factions came to limelight last week in Abuja at the Speaker Dogara’s 50th birthday anniversary celebrationwith a charity football match and book launch where Governor Abubakar purchased some books worth millions of naira.
Speaker Dogara explained that he is ready to sit at a round table as bothers and sisters with the other warring faction and all stakeholders involved for amicable settlement of the dispute that has affected the interest of the generality of electorates.
“As a leader, I’m not going to put a rope on anybody’s neck to drag him anywhere, never. But as leaders, our overwhelming concern should be the interest of our people, the development of our state and how we can better the lot of everyone in this state”, Dogara said.
“That being the case, it means that we will always have to protect the interest of our people first and not our own interest. And I believe in consensus, we are going to sit down as brothers and sisters on a table of brotherhood and all our stakeholders will be involved. Even if it is agreeing to disagree, let us agree to disagree”
According to the speaker, nobody is going to be taken to any market for marketing, adding “We don’t have any market in Bauchi state where human beings are sold. Let’s pivot on the interest of the majority of our people to resolve our dispute”.
Dogara enumerated a lot of development projects he facilitated their realization at the Dass, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro federal constituency during the past few years, as he assured that more democracy dividends are coming, especially road from Tapshin – Gambar – Sara road that could Plateau state through Gindiri, which construction contract has just been awarded among others.