By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
Muslim faithful under the auspices of Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) have said openly that they would never support Yakubu Dogara’s candidature as Vice President to All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential flagbearer Asiwaju Ahmad Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2023 polls.
Tagged, ‘Bauchi Muslim Good Governance Group’ (BMGGG) said they would also not support Dogara to any other national appointment, saying “To be forewarned is to be forearmed, we have delivered our responsibility, hoping that those concerned will heed and adhere to our legitimate remonstration against Dogara’s nomination”.
The group wondered in a press conference in Bauchi on Sunday how some Muslims are trying hard to sell Dogara as a good person, saying no matter how many bridges Dogara was purported to have built between Muslims and Christians as propagated by his mouthpieces, it sees him on the contrary.
They argued, “We at BMGGG would like to see Dogara build or at least facilitate the building of a bridge, just one, from his constituency that would allow the displaced Muslims of Tafawa Balewa town to return to their familial homes, or resettle them temporary near their farmlands, away from exile”.
BMGGG observed that Dogara Yakubu appears to many unsuspecting Muslims as a kind and generous person who loves to mingle and share niceties with everyone, saying this camouflaged image works well only with outsiders, but not with majority of Muslims from his constituency and many within Bauchi state.
“Many facts abound on his mischievous schemata on how he perpetually oppressed and subjugated the Muslims from his constituency and the state in all affairs of education and governance so as to curtail their development and empowerment in order not to compete with his tribesmen”.
The group in the briefing led by its chairman, Barrister Khalil Abdullahi, queried Dogara on why he personalized and cornered all opportunities meant for the entire Bauchi state indigenes to his tribesmen and brethren, saying they have abundant statistics on how state indigenes, particularly the Muslims were hoodwinked and replaced by even non indigenes.
Barrister Khalil Abdullahi therefore wondered how Bauchi state that has a number of 20 Local Government Areas, but Dogara as the hitherto Nigerian fourth citizen cannot boast of empowering or sponsoring any person other than his tribesmen on international scholarships.
“BMGGG was aware that Dogara has never cared to find out the plight and condition of Muslims affected by series of crises in Tafawa Balewa town throughout his membership in the red chambers, as he neither brokered a peace deal by look into the possibility of bringing the warring factions together for possible reconciliation, reconstruction and coexistence”.
Abdullahi challenged those pushing Dogara into the throats of millions of Muslims in Arewa to his acceptability and popularity from his state by presenting him for senatorial contest/candidate from Bauchi south, or present him as deputy governor to AVM Sadiq of the APC, or even encourage him to contest for gubernatorial slot before advertising him for VP.
They also argued that Dogara’s inability to constitute a reconciliatory committee that could negotiate a possible level ground between the Muslims and Christians from Tafawa Balewa proved that he cannot be a good representative of all electorates in his constituency and the nation at large.
Barrister Abdullahi therefore described as shocking to hear that some people, especially from Bauchi state are advocating for Dogara’s nomination as vice president, as it will be more shocking if Asiwaju Tinubu should choose him as his running mate.
He noted that a person with the above predispositions cannot represent Nigerians or be a good leader that people can rely on as true patriot and detribalized citizen, hence “We therefore reiterate our opposition to Dogara’s nomination as VP to Asiwaju or any national appointment because we do not see how the two will work successfully for the betterment of this great nation”.
