Bauchi APC cold war: Who blinks first, Dogara or Abubakar?

THE general believe was that immediately after the resounding victory recorded by the  then opposition political party in the country,  the All Progressive Congress (APC) across Nigeria in the 2015 general elections, there would be a  harmonious working relationship between all the State Governors and others elected under the umbrella of the party particularly members of the National Assembly from their States who are popularly tagged ‘Abuja Politicians’ because it was expected that they will put their heads together, pull political resources together in order  to  be able to ameliorate the ‘hardships’ faced by  the electorates in their respective states before the 2015 general elections under the then ruling People Democratic Party (PDP).

Although such harmonious working relationship can be seen between some state governors and members of the National Assembly thereby consolidating the gains of the 2015 victory by bringing development to their people, the situation in Bauchi State which produced the number 4 citizen in the national leadership hierarchy, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara is nothing but frosty because from day one of the victory of the party, there has been no love lost between the Governor,  Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar and majority of the members of the National Assembly the state and from the look of things it is obvious that the lingering feud between them is not in sight a development that is taking negative toll on the people of the state because so much energy is dissipated in justifying the actions or inactions of either camp.

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One sympathetic development to the unending feud however, is that even the traditional institution has been roped into the melee in one way or the other.

Both sides of the divide have opened new fronts of political war against one another using every available tool to run down each other.

The crisis started soon after the politicians, mostly riding on the popularity of Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, collectively won elections. Unfortunately, rather than working together, the major actors, for some indiscernible reasons, refused to consolidate their gains. Despite three years of efforts by the state and the national leadership of the party to resolve the problems, the politicians, specifically the Governor and his supporters on one hand, and the team of legislators on the other, are increasingly opening new frontiers of misunderstanding.

However, while some of the lawmakers are fighting the battle behind the scenes others like Senators Isah Hammah representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District and Suleiman Nazif representing Bauchi North Senatorial district are more vocal in expressing their opposition to the policies of Governor Abubakar while the leading antagonist in the fight is Ahmed Yarima, representing Misau/Dambam Federal Constituency  in the House of Representatives who through his weekly radio programmes take swipes on the activities of the government using the medium to always pick holes in whatever the Governor does.

The lawmakers specifically accused the Governor of failing to fulfill any of the campaign promises they collectively made to the electorate during the campaigns while canvassing for votes particularly the continuous refusal of the Governor to the conduct of local government council elections, but rather appointment of Caretaker Committees a development that the Governor has, at several occasion justified by saying that the state has no enough money to conduct local government elections, claiming that such an exercise will cost about N2 billion with the reality of economic downturn as it is struggling to pay workers salaries and retirement benefits.

Another issue that has lingered for a long time and which had aggravated the cold war then, was the payment of salaries as at when due as well as deductions from the salaries of the workers; though the issues have since been addressed by the state government, the NASS members from the state had hyped on the issue while it lasted and at the height of the cold war, an earlier attempt to recall the three Senators from the National Assembly by a coalition within the APC was seen as an attempt by Governor Abubakar and the party’s leadership at the state level to get at the senators.

In the vanguard of the recall process was one Ali Sa’idu, who accused late Senator Ali Wakili,  Senators Hammah Misau and  Suleiman Nazif  Gamawa of “supporting the Senate President, Bukola Saraki against the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari” but the then APC national leadership led by Odigie Oyegun tried to reconcile the Senators and the Governor’s group over the recall attempt. But the issue later re-surfaced when another group petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking to kick-start the recall process. Ironically, a different group went to the INEC office in Bauchi and countered the move, saying they were fully in support of their Senators.

Instead of the crisis simmering down, fresh allegations emerged from the Governor’s camp that the lawmakers, in cahoots with “other disgruntled elements within and outside the APC,” have already resolved to work against Governor Abubakar in 2019 alleging that the lawmakers and their supporters elsewhere have selected someone among them that would be supported to unseat the Governor in 2019.

Another factor said to be aggravating the feud in Bauchi State is the alleged involvement of some former APC aspirants who lost out in the party’s primaries as well as the recent Congresses held. He was quoted saying, “I am a perfect example of Governor Abubakar’s magnanimity and democratic principles. I was from the Dr. Yakubu Lame camp, but he appointed me to serve him. Look around and you will find out that all the governor’s appointees have links in one way or the other to all the other aspirants”.

Also, in an effort to resolve the lingering feud between the two camps, the party at the state level held an expanded executive council meeting which had in attendance, almost all its executive council members and other prominent figures, including Governor Abubakar. However, the absence of Senators Nazif and Hammah and late Ali Wakili, as well as Speaker Dogara and other major actors involved in the feud had signaled to political observers that the feud is nowhere near ending.

Though some lawmakers had attended the meeting, the APC spokesperson in the state, Auwal Jalla, informed journalists that those who did not attend the meeting had sent in their apologies. But late Senator Wakili, in an interview a few days later, said they received the invitation to the meeting very late.

The problem aggravated when the then APC Chairman in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, Mijinyawa Hardo, believed to be loyal to the Governor and the state leadership of the party, was removed by some officials loyal to late Senator Wakili and Speaker Dogara. The group accused him of ‘side-lining’ members of the party as well as alleged ‘anti-party’ activities. But in another twist, the APC leadership in late Senator Wakili’s Lere ward in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area suspended him from the party. The suspension letter dated January 8, 2017 was addressed to the local government party chairman and signed by one Markus Silas, stated that late Senator Wakili was suspended for “committing offences inimical to the progress of the party”.

However, the late Senator, in a statement by his then senior legislative aide, Ladan Ahmad Gumau, alleged that the plan to suspend him was hatched by some officials of the party, with the support of the state government. But the state leadership of the party later reiterated that the suspension was in order as the offences he allegedly committed were against the party’s constitution.

The visit of the Speaker to Bauchi State to flag off road construction in his constituency made it clear that the cold war is nowhere near ending due to the fact that during the ceremony which was held in Dass Local Government Area, no traditional ruler or any state government official was seen at the occasion which was well attended with the presence of the immediate past Governor of the State, Isa Yuguda who is aspiring for the Bauchi South Senatorial seat under the Green Party of Nigeria (GPN).

Even the planned homage visit to the Emir of Bauchi who is the Chairman of the State Council of Traditional Rulers was aborted at the last minute because of what some people alleged was the handiwork of the government which was said to have given directives that all traditional rulers and government officials in the state should not accord the Speaker any audience or attend his functions though an official statement from the state government promptly debunked the allegation, stressing that the state government did not issue such directives to the traditional rulers.

Though the national secretariat of the party had sent a reconciliatory team led by Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chris Ngige to the state to broker peace, for now, Bauchi South seems to be the battleground for the intra APC wrangling, as both the Governor and Speaker Dogara are from the area thereby, the electorates are lamenting the continued cold war describing it as “an impediment to development and energy sapping on both camps.”

In his determination to make the people of his constituency self reliant, the Speaker of the House of Representatives had visited several markets in five towns and villages in Bauchi State where he interacted with the traders and artisans and supported them with various  cash gifts to boost their businesses.

The speaker who was accompanied by his wife, Gimbiya Dogara and the member representing Misau/Dambam Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, Hon Ahmed Yerima said that his decision was informed by the desire to see that poverty was reduced to the barest minimum among the people.

The villages visited by the Speaker included Zwall, Burgel, Kagadaman Dass, Maraban Liman Katagum and Kadagi along Bauchi-Tafawa Balewa road.

Dogara has been advocating for creation of small scale businesses and empowerment programmes in order to tackle extreme poverty and hunger at the grassroots and cautioned all those who benefitted from the gesture to ensure that they invested the amount given to them in order to boost their businesses and in turn be able to help others.

But as politicking for the 2019 general election heightens constituents of Dass/Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro Federal Constituency of Bauchi State have pledged their unalloyed and unflinching support and loyalty to the Speaker of the House of Representatives describing him as their ‘party’.

Meanwhile, the ruling APC in Bauchi State suffered a set back in as two of its chieftains and a member of the State House of Assembly representing Dass and LereBule constituencies, Maryam Garba Bagel and Muhammad Aminu Tukur have dumped the party.

Maryam Garba Bagel and Aminu Tukur who belong to the APC camp loyal to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dogara announced their decisions to dump the party following what they separately described as irreconcilable political differences before and after the party congresses held recently.

While addressing her supporters of her decision to quit the APC and pitch her tent with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Bagel stated, “I want to use this medium to inform the general public and my teaming supporters, that I have today officially changed my political party from the APC to the SDP”.

She further explained, “My decision became necessary due to lack of internal democracy within the state chapter of the party which was demonstrated during the last congresses, of which I and many others challenged through various official means, but is yet to be resolved”.

She further assured, “I also want to appeal to my constituents to mobilize votes for me in the primaries, and come out enmasse to vote in the general election for me or any candidate that is successful at the primaries, so that those that think they can manipulate party officials because they are in power, will remember where they came from”.

On his own, the member of the House representing Lere/Bula constituency Muhammad Aminu Tukur while announcing his decision to dump the party for what he described as lack of transparency explained that his decision to quit the party was as a result of the party’s failure to conduct a credible party primary election through the direct voting system that would have allowed all card carrying members to vote as promised by the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole.

According to him, all the aspirants had completed preparations for the exercise but were later around 5pm on Wednesday summoned by the leadership of the party informing them of a meeting at the party’s secretariat where they were informed that the primary election would be conducted by delegates voting system declaring that he and others do not trust the delegates voting system.

Aminu Tukur who has never hidden that he belongs to the camp of the party loyal to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dogara alleged that he did not know the delegates designated for the primary election saying that he was sure that there would be a predetermined result of the primary, he would join another party that would be fair to him.

It is believed that more of the politicians who are loyal to the APC camp of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara who are not happy with the conduct of the last congresses of the party held in May may dump the party an indication that the Speaker is indeed the determining factor of the 2019 political permutations in the state.

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