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Tag: Dogara

  • Sign bill mandating early submission of budget, Dogara tells Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari should assent to the constitutional amendment Bill which provides for early submission of budget proposals to the National Assembly, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said.
     In his remark at the resumption of plenary Tuesday, Dogara said  any talk of an orderly appropriations process would be mere cheap talk as long as the Bill is not signed into law,
    “The President shall prepare and lay before each House of the National Assembly estimates of revenue and expenditure 90 days before the end of the fiscal year,,”  the Bill states.
    Other  constitutional amendment Bills transmitted to the President alongside the budget bill  have been assented to.
    “It is as a result of this that the National Assembly proposed an amendment to the section to require the President to submit the Appropriation Bill not later than 90 days to the end of the financial year.
    “The President has not yet signed this Bill which is so critical to an orderly Appropriations process. Let me use this opportunity to remind Mr President of the fact that if this Bill does not become law, any talk of an orderly appropriations process would be mere cheap talk.
     Dogara further said : “It is important to reiterate once again, that the National Assembly has the Constitutional powers, duty and responsibility to intervene in the budgeting process to ensure equity, federal character and even distribution of projects and amenities to all nooks and crannies of this great country as direct Representatives of the people.
    “It is also important to emphasise that the 2018 budget benefitted from active cooperation and consultation between the Executive and Legislature during the Appropriation process. No doubt, Nigeria’s budgeting processes is in need of further reforms and that is why the National Assembly took the bold initiative to introduce the Budget Process Bill that is expected to lay out, timelines that will guide the appropriations process from conception to passage.
    “But for this Bill to be passed, section (81) subsection (1) which gives the President power to prepare and lay before each House of the National Assembly, at any time, estimates of revenue and expenditure in the financial year must be amended.”

  • UPDATED: We’ll try our best to stop killings – Saraki

    The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said on Wednesday the National Assembly would play its roles in the efforts to end killings in the country.

    Saraki gave the assurance in a chat with State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, also attended the meeting convened by the President following last weekend’s attacks in Plateau State where about 90 people were killed by suspected herdsmen.

    He said: “We met with the President to first of all commiserated with him and get a briefing from him. During the briefing, he explained how steps are being taken to forestall reoccurrence and restore sanity because this is a great concern to him and to us also.

    “To see what can be done with NEMA and security agencies, we will all work towards it. Nobody is happy with the situation and we will all come together to ensure that we restore sanity.

    “We commiserate with all families, it is our own intention to also go and pay our own condolence visit to the people of Plateau State.

    “Our general appeal at the end of the day is that we all live together in peace and harmony and we will continue to do our best to see that this kind of thing does not happen again.”

    Dogara expressed condolence to Mr. President, the government and people of Plateau State over the killings in the state.

    The Speaker said the President has briefed them on what he saw during his visit to Plateau on Tuesday and measures he is putting in place to prevent reoccurrence.

    He said: “These are very sober moments for all of us in a situation where people in hundreds are continued to be killed and we can no longer tolerate this kind of situation as a government.

    “Whatever it is we must not lose the fight against violence because we can’t lose that fight and still keep our civilization.

    “If you go to the North East you can see the level of devastation caused by Boko Haram. Everything resembling progress from schools to hospitals to government institutions had been pulled down. And we don’t want a replication of this all over the country.

     

  • Plateau killings: Buhari meets Saraki, Dogara in Aso Rock

    *We’ll try our best to stop killings,  Says Saraki 

    *Nigeria can’t afford to lose fight against violence  –  Dogara 

    The Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Wednesday assured that the National Assembly will play its roles to urgently end the spate of killings in the country.
    He gave the assurance when himself and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Saraki said “We met with the president to first of all commiserated with him and get a briefing from him. Part of the briefing he explained how steps are being taken to forestall reoccurrence and restore sanity because this is a great concern to him and to us also.
    “To see what can be done with NEMA and security agencies, we will all work towards it, nobody is happy with it and we will all come together to ensure that we restore sanity.
    “We commiserate with all families, it is our own intention to also go and pay our own condolence visit to the people of Plateau.
    “Our general appeal at the end of the day is that we all live together in peace and harmony and we will continue to do our best to see that this kind of thing does not happen again.” he said
    Dogara expressed condolence to Mr. President, the government and people of Plateau state over the killings in the state.
    According to him, the President has briefed them on what he saw first hand when he visited Plateau Tuesday and measures he is putting in place to prevent reoccurence.
    He said “These are very sober moments for all of us in a situation where people in hundreds are continued to be killed and we can no longer tolerate this kind of situation as a government.
    “Whatever it is we must not  loose the fight against violence because we can’t loose that fight and still keep our civilization.
    “If you go to the north east you can see the level of devastation caused by Boko Haram everything resembling progress from schools to hospitals to government institutions, everything has been pulled down. And we don’t want a replication of this all over the country.
    “The President has taken enough steps, these are security issues, they are not matters that you can discuss but he has told us what he is doing, the reorganization that he plans to put in place to ensure that this don’t happen.
    “My advise to our people not just Plateau State, Benue, Zamfara, Taraba virtually some communities faced with this situation especially in the north, I think the issue of securing our communities, living in peace must be taken as a project, is something each and everyone of us must invest in whether as traditional rulers, as community leaders, councilors, chairmen, all strata of society must invest in peace building.
    That is is the only way we can live in a secure community and ensure that we progress as a country.” he said

  • Saraki, Ekweremadu, Dogara, Atiku, preach sacrifice, love, others

    SENATE President Abubakar Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have urged Muslims to project Islam through the good examples of prayers, love, tolerance and peaceful disposition at all times.

    They congratulated Muslim faithful on the successful completion of the month-long Ramadan fast and called for sustained prayers for peace.

     

    Saraki seeks prayer for peace, unity

    Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, to commemorate the Eid-el-Fitri celebrations, said in spite of Federal Government’s appreciable efforts in combating the challenge of insecurity, it is imperative for Muslim faithful to utilise this period to pray fervently for peace and unity in the country.

    “We have just ended a month long fast, thus paving way for the Eid-el-fitr celebrations. These two periods are such times that the Almighty Allah enjoined us to ask for his blessings. We should therefore seize the opportunity to pray for the country and its leaders,” Saraki said.

    He called on Nigerians to use the season to promote national integration, saying: “Eid-el-fitr is a time of love and goodwill. It gives us a message to love all and hate none.”

     

    Remain true to Islamic teachings, Ekweremadu tells faithful

     

    Ekweremadu also congratulated the Muslim Ummah on the successful conclusion of the Ramadan fast, urging them to continue to pray for the nation, especially towards the successful conduct of the 2019 general elections.

    He also enjoined Muslim faithful to remain true to the teachings of Islam imbibed during the fast even after the holy month.

    “I congratulate our Muslim Ummah for successfully observing the Ramadan Fast and prayers, with its life-enriching lessons in the virtues of love, forbearance, unity, patriotism, self-sacrifice.

    “In the last one month, I observed the piety and the spirit of giving associated with the month and, therefore, urge our Muslim brothers and sisters to remain their brother’s keeper till eternity so as to make the society better for it.

     

    Dogara felicitates with Muslims

    Dogara felicitated with the Muslim Ummah on the occasion of Eid El Fitr celebration.

    Dogara, in his Sallah message, enjoined them to sustain the lessons of Ramadan and replicate same in their daily lives for a better society.

    The Ummah should not be carried away by only the pageantry of the Sallah celebration, he said.

    Instead, they should use the occasion for sober reflection and extend gestures and hands of support to the needy in the society as well as to pray against the current security and economic situation of the country.

     

    Atiku:  reinforce fear of Allah

    In a goodwill message released by his media office yesterday, to mark the end of the 30-day Ramadan fasting period, Atiku said the event should reinforce the fear of Allah in the hearts of believers.

    He urged Muslim faithful to sustain the virtues of sacrifice beyond the Ramadan period, adding that the fasting period makes believers appreciate the impact of hunger and enable them to be more committed to the hardships of millions, who cannot feed themselves.

     

     

     

  • Dogara scores navy high on 2017 budget performance

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara at the weekend praised the Nigerian Navy (NN) for recording over 80 percent budgetary performance last year.

    He spoke during the dinner held at the Naval Dockyard Limited, Victoria Island, to celebrate the NN’s 62nd anniversary.

    Dogara, who was represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Navy, Abdulsamaad Dasuki, noted that the budgetary performance impacted positively in the service’s efficiency.

    Pledging sustained support for the navy, Dogara noted that the service had consistently waged war against maritime criminals and also collaborated with other security agencies in the fight against terrorists across the country.

    He said: “With sustained commitment on the part of the Armed Forces, we will soon win the war against insurgency. The navy attained over 80 per cent capital budget performance in 2017. This has impacted positively in their level of achievement and other enhanced operational efficiency.

    “The successful passage of the 2018 appropriation bill and implementation of the budget will further reposition the service to better fulfill their very essential obligations to the nation.

    “The National Assembly is aware of the constraints facing our Armed Forces like inadequate equipment due to limited resources.

    “However, we have always done our best to ensure that reasonable provisions are made for our security agencies and we will continue to afford you the necessary consultations.

    “I rejoice with you in your successes and the growth you have enjoyed over the years. The Armed Forces have a crucial role to play in the survival of our country as a sovereign nation.

    “I commend you for living up to expectations. As you police our territorial waters, you also have the unique responsibility of safeguarding installations in our oil and gas industry.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • nPDP members’ marginalization claim false – Ganduje

    Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Monday dismissed claim of marginalization by some members of the nPDP in the All Progressive Congress (APC), saying all of them have benefited tremendously from the present administration.

    Ganduje, who is also a member of the nPDP caucus that dissolved into the APC, said he was astonished by such claims.

    He insisted that all of them are being carried along by the present administration.

    Ganduje, who stated these during a media parley at Government House in Kano, said people like the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, have no reason to complain about anything.

    He said: “Some few members of the nPDP  (which is not even a group in that nomenclature, because now we are one in the APC) went to the party’s national secretariat and presented a paper that they were marginalized.

    “The majority of the defunct nPDP (which I am a member) also went to the national secretariat to mention that those that were there earlier in the name of nPDP were not the true representatives of the nPDP. Also, we indicated that we are not part of those who are being marginalized.

    “I will give you an analysis that will show that they are not being marginalized. First of all, the Senate President is from the defunct nPDP, he is now the Senate President. He controls very important Committees in which he singlehandedly approved chairmen of 30 committees. That is not marginalization.

    “You have the governor of Kwara State who is also a member of the nPDP. He has a whole government. How can he say he is marginalized?

    “You have the Speaker of House of Representatives who is a member of the nPDP and a Speaker under the banner of APC. How can he say he is being marginalized? He controls lucrative committees. He appoints the chairmen and membership of the Committees singlehandedly without interference from the executive. How can he say he is being marginalized?

    “So, if you take this issue one by one, you can see that the issue of marginalization is not there. Therefore, we the majority of the nPDP are disclaiming the allegation and we believe that we are not being marginalized.

    “The Governor of Adamawa state is nPDP and he is now a governor. I am from nPDP and I am now a governor. We have most of  us from the nPDP who are Senators and House of Representative members.

    “So, I believe that there must be something underground. You know Mr. President is facing a difficult moment, corruption is fighting back. So, you will soon see why marginalization is coming out now. This is not the issue of marginalization, this is the issue of corruption fighting back. So, you will see what will happen.”

  • APC to meet with Saraki, Dogara, Wamakko, others

    Buoyed by the olive branch from leaders of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party(nPDP),the All Progressives Congress(APC) is to meet with  Senate President Bukola Saraki, House Speaker Yakubu Dogara and others.

    Other aggrieved bigwigs on the radar of the party are Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal,  ex-Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso, Aliyu Wammako and Danjuma Goje.

    There are also senators and members of the House of Representatives.

    Former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola stayed away from yesterday’s meeting in Abuja because “he has made up his mind to team up with his boss, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, to form a coalition against President Muhammadu Buhari”.

    The party will however submit a comprehensive report to the Presidency after consultations with all those aggrieved.

    According to sources, the APC opted for more talks, following  “positive signs” with leaders of nPDP at the meeting.

    The source said: “Our meeting provided more insights and we are looking at the next phase. In the second phase, the party will meet with nPDP leaders including Saraki, Dogara, Kwankwaso, Tambuwal, Wammako, Goje and others.

    “There is likelihood that the party will sit down with these leaders and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo before finally reuniting all. So, we take the meeting up to the highest quarters in the interest of all.

    “It is an election year, we will not allow them to go anywhere. The nPDP leaders warned that APC should “not push them to the wall to defect to any party. We will avert being pushed to the wall because time is not on our side.”

    The source gave insights into the talks by the two sides.

    The source added: “The defunct nPDP team was led by its chairman, Alh. Kawu Baraje and five members of the House of Representatives led by Ali Madaki from Kano State.

    “The party was represented at the closed door session by its Deputy National Chairman( North), Sen. Lawal Shuaibu and the National Secretary, Mallam Mai Mala Buni.

    “At the session, they stood by the contents of their letter to the party and insisted that they  were unhappy because the APC leadership did not play its roles as a party in government.

    “They complained over gross indiscipline in the party and how the party formed with good intentions has derailed.

    “These leaders said they never wanted to defect to any party if everybody and every group are respected and given a sense of belonging.

    “But they were forthcoming that they will leave APC if only they are pushed to the wall by APC leadership.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “Throughout the meeting, they made it clear that they have no grudges with President Muhammadu Buhari, they only blamed the leadership of the party.”

    On the outcome of the meeting, the source added: “The situation is redeemable if the issues raised are adequately addressed.

    “The leader of the  APC team, the Deputy National Chairman ( North), Sen. Shuaibu  will brief  the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and other members of the National Working Committee( NWC).”

    “After all the phases of meetings and consultations, APC will then write a comprehensive report to the presidency which will serve as a guide on how to address the grievances of the nPDP leaders.”

    APC said yesterday it would address the grievances of the members of the defunct nPDP in its fold, who complained of marginalisation.

    The party’s Deputy National Chairman Lawal Shuaibu said the party was taking the complaint seriously.

    He spoke after a meeting of the party leadership with the nPDP team at the party’s secretariat.

    The meeting was called in response to the call by the nPDP members for action to be taken on their complaints.

    Shuaibu, who led the APC NWC team to the meeting on behalf of National Chairman Oyegun, said: “We have not yet resolved. They wrote a letter to us, they are partymen, they have grievances, we looked at the letter,their grievances are genuine. And they requested a meeting within seven days and before the seven days expired, I called them and they were not ready to come, they said we should shift the meeting till today, which we did.

    “So, we are listening to them, we have listened to them and we are taking up their matter seriously, we will address it. We don’t ignore our people except if you don’t send your grievances to the party, but if you send, we will always address your grievances.”

    However, the nPDP leader  Baraje expressed satisfaction with the steps taken by the party to address their complaint, saying “So far so good, we have just started and when you start a race, you don’t say whether somebody wants to see you until you are getting to the middle or to the end. But it is a good start, it is a good beginning”.

    Baraje said: “As you are aware, we requested that we wanted to see the party, and the party, very sensitive party, very responsible party, responded to our requests adequately and we think it is a very encouraging time.

    “Since last week, they have got across to us but because of logistics  we couldn’t come until today. We begged the party to shift the date till today and we have seen our party. We are party members; this office is our office, we have only come home to discuss those observations, which we wrote in our letter. The meeting was very beautiful.”

    Baraje refused to respond to the allegation by Sen. Abdullahi Adamu’s group, saying “I am not ready to do that because somebody has earlier responded to them adequately. I think the former Youth Leader of the defunct nPDP, Timi Frank, responded to them and once somebody has responded, there is no need beating around the bush.

    “In any case, in any group, particularly political groups, you are bound to have a splinter; why they splint is best known to them. As far as we are concerned, the group that   sent us here are 95.9 per cent intact.”

  • APC, nPDP in talks to avert Saraki, Dogara, others exit

    NWC meeting with Baraje, other ex-PDP leaders ‘not to negotiate’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders are to meet today with leaders of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) over their grievances.

    A group of APC members led by one-time Acting PDP National Chairman Kawu Baraje, claiming marginalisation of its members by the APC-led Federal Government a fortnight ago, gave the party a one-week deadline to meet with it and address its grievances.

    Although another group of ex-PDP members, led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu and House of Representatives member Abdumumin Jibrin, told the party to call the bluff of the Baraje-led group, it was learnt yesterday that the leadership opted to discuss with the Baraje group so as not to be accused of lack of fairness.

    The party was said to be aware that some of the nPDP leaders had made up their minds to defect from the ruling party, but wanted to give those protesting the opportunity to air their grievances. The outcome of the meeting will be presented to the Presidency and other organs of the party for consideration, a member of the National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said.

    Among those suspected to be planning their exit are Senate President Bukola Saraki and House Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

    Yesterday in Ilorin, Baraje confirmed that his group had been invited to a meeting in Abuja today with the party leadership.

    Baraje said: “The last time we met here (Baraje’s house) in 2016, I told you that the way the party was going on we were on the road to perdition.

    “If you look at the letter  we wrote,  we never said we gave ultimatum but that we advised them;  we hinted the party because  of the ongoing  primaries of the party. Now the party has invited us, exactly on the seventh day of the letter and they  wanted us to meet  that same day but because we were speaking for several leaders across the country we told them we couldn’t meet that same day; so now they have scheduled  a meeting for tomorrow (Monday)  anytime from 2pm.”

    He dismissed the opposition to the group led by Adamu, saying the nPDP is such a large group that it cannot but have some dissent.

    “We have travelled a long way with the APC and now we are seeing things worse in APC than in PDP. If we are leaders worth the name we should be bold enough to speak about it,” Baraje said.

    The NWC member said: “We asked the nPDP leaders to come for interaction on their letter to shed more light on their grievances, collate facts and figures and get their opinions on the way forward.

    “He who alleges must prove. We want to get the facts and figures on the allegations they have put in the public domain.

    “We have also invited the nPDP leaders to give them a sense of fair hearing in order not to give them any justification for leaving APC.

    “The truth is that politics is about dialogue, shifting grounds, and finding solutions to issues.”

    Asked of the next step after today’s meeting, the source added: “We will relate the outcome to our leaders in the Presidency, the NWC and all other organs of the party.

    “At the end of the day, we will take a decision on the way out.”

    Another NWC member said: “We know some of the nPDP leaders have made up their minds to leave APC, no matter the nature of dialogue we have with them.

    “This meeting with them is not negotiation in any form whatsoever. We do not have the mandate of the organs of the party to negotiate with them. We need to clear the air before they mislead the public.

    “They are party elders and we will be fair and equitable to hear their side before briefing other organs of APC.”

    Lending credence the feeling that some of the nPDP members are already on their way out of the APC, Baraje said: “Let me warn that every politician has aspirations, either as individuals or as a group. And every politician will go to where his aspirations will be fulfilled.”

    He, however, added that the group was working for the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari has declared his ambition for the 2019 elections and those of us in APC are desirous of his victory. That necessitated the letter we wrote. What we are saying in the letter is that for us to win big in the election is to review and revisit all the agreements we have reached with one another in APC. We are only reminding the party.

    “We are desirous that Buhari wins, are desirous that our party wins the presidential election and the only way we can do it is to ensure that everybody is carried along. This is the right time for those of us who are aggrieved to complain so that we do not carry the grievances to elections period. It is not as if we are rebelling,” Baraje said.

    He urged the party leadership to disregard the Adamu group:

    Baraje lamented what he called the high rate of internal  conflicts within the ruling APC, which has culminated in “parallel state congresses in about 21 states”. He said contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the nPDP’s letter to the leadership of the APC was to forestall such occurrences.

    Other members of the former nPDP in the APC believed to be aagrieved and being wooed by the PDP and other political parties are Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara). Ot

    There are also  Senators Rabiu Kwankwaso, Dino Melaye, Danjuma Goje, Adamu Aliero, Shehu Sani, Suleiman Nazif, Aliyu Wamako, Hamisu Misau, Sani Yerima and some House of Representatives members.

    Baraje is Saraki’s political acolyte.

    Former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, one of the signatories to the nPDP’s letter to the APC leadership, has resigned from the ruling party to join former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s African Democratic Congress (ADC). He was the coordinator of the Coalition for New Nigeria floated by the former President before it fused with the ADC.

  • Exorcising the PDP Spirit in Dogara

    Nigeria’s main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has something mysterious about it. As a political party, its name invokes the feeling of nausea and destruction anywhere it is echoed. One can easily conclude that what’s in a name, after all, it’s just mere alphabets.

    But strangely, for PDP, even the human characters which populate the party have this queer and repulsive character. Their trademark is indiscernible pride and unbridled appetite to pillage the state. When they pranced the corridors of power for 16 years, misruling and misgoverning Nigeria, one of their national chairmen openly boasted that the party would milk Aso for 60 years.

    Unfortunately, it turned out to be a mirage. And the party itself manipulated its grace and abused the sympathy of Nigerians out of political relevance after just 16 years.

    When PDP swaggered on the fortress of state power and became a mess of itself, Nigerians caricatured it, by corrupting the acronym PDP to mean “People Destroying People.” And it’s like a stigma and a curse on most of its members. Even those who have received the baptism of “change” in the progressive All Progressives Congress (APC) where the likes of President Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s national chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun are redefining new politicking etiquettes and party ethos, that peculiar PDP spirit has not deserted them.

    PDP easily strikes as a congregation of politicians, who are very greedy, self-centered, infinitely destructive and devoid of any identifiable ideology in party politics or governance. By their cultured orientation, there is no standard measurement for anything. The focus has always been on how to dubiously lubricate their ego to service personal interests, in the Machiavellian style.

    So heartless that even in the same wrestling ring with the PDPees, the romance is only good, when their interests take precedence above others. So long as they unfairly exploit others, all is fair. But you would provoke them endlessly, if you attempt to apply the principle of equity, fairness and justice. They are instantly provoked and can even assail God with petitions in rage of anger.

    House of Representatives Speaker, Hon Dogara Yakubu is a member of the New PDP, who strayed into the APC. There are scores of the nPDP in APC, but the alignment seems to have hiccups because they have difficulties blending with the progressive ideals or bent of the APC. So, some of them are perpetually restless, thus contemplating other political identities as 2019 approaches.

    And since a leopard does not change its spots, Speaker Dogara has joined the league of these political grasshoppers. Privileged sources have divulged that Dogara has concluded discreet arrangements to dump APC and make a shameful detour back to his former party, the PDP.

    There is nothing wrong with his decision, because liberty of association is one of the many beauties of democracy. But the jigsaw is that instead of embarking on his planned political mutation noiselessly, he is rather seeking to destroy the APC and its government before his uncelebrated departure. They call it “destruction”, a convenient alternative name of PDP.

    But wait a minute! What is Speaker Dogara’s grouse against the government of APC or the party itself? It is nothing discernible. It’s just that PDPees are propelled by greed, clothed by greed and whacked by greed. Where there is any attempt to checkmate this excessiveness, tampers run riot because they are men barren of any political ideology.

    Very unlike President Buhari’s acolytes, who have followed his political ideology since his foray into partisan politics in the build-up to the 2003 general elections. So, Speaker Dogara, much like his soul mates, the PDP goons and slayers, he is only interested in what he gets at each point in time.

    Therefore, to disregard his party’s decision on the election of principal officers of the House in June 2015 was no big deal. The party had zoned to the Speakership to Southwest, but he betrayed his party, a manifestation of the inherent greed, a culture he imbibed and nurtured in his former party.

    He felt no moral burden to connive with his PDP colleagues in the House of Reps to cheat an entire zone of leadership representation. Very unbiblical, he robbed Peter, but instead of paying Paul, he paid himself.

    But such dubiousness in leadership comes with a price. Had the national leadership of the APC reacted to his emergence in the famed culture of the PDP, Dogara would not have had a moment of respite on the throne. But the progressive APC kept its calm and overlooked his “stolen” leadership.

    However, nemesis challenges or place hurdles on the path of a leadership, which is not ordained by the people. It comes naturally. Speaker Dogara should be ashamed that after 16 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria, the House of Reps under his watch recorded the first most disgraceful national embarrassment- the budget padding scandal, which engulfed the National Assembly.

    It mocked him directly because it pointed accusing fingers at him as the unseen shadow behind the scam. Nigeria was gravely and regrettably ridiculed in the comity of nations.

    Haunted by this dirty past, Speaker Dogara has no peace with his soul. Now, he is a man who sights a bleak and sinking political future, after failing to assimilate the new political doctrines of the progressive APC. So, the search for relevance and platforms, which would accept his sort of political character, became inevitable, necessitating the discreet plot to return to PDP, his former party.

    President Buhari naturally resents politicians with Speaker Dogara’s character or proclivities. His attempts to warm his way into “Mai Geskiya’s” (as Buhari is fondly called by admirers) heart failed, because he was placed on secret surveillance and the President discovered he is character immune to change.

    Frustrated and offended for lacking the arsenals to battle President Buhari directly, Speaker Dogara went for the offensive by attacking some of the President’s appointees to extract his pound of flesh in vengeance. The first victim of this war of attrition was the Director-General (DG), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Engr. Mustapha Maihaja.

    Through the House Committee, Speaker Dogara ensured the case of N2.5 billion fraud alleged on a former NEMA DG, Mr. Sani Sidi Mohammed and some six directors, when the latter administered the agency in the PDP days, was swept under the carpet. The fraud was discovered by the EFCC, which had gone far with investigations.

    Curiously, it shocked Nigerians that what gained prominence in the wisdom of the House were the phantom charges it brought against Maihaja, while ignoring the case against Sidi Mohammed and his partners. The House committee also fruitlessly attempted to drag the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who is the statutory chairman of the Governing Board of NEMA.

    It’s quite unfortunate that the only reason Speaker Dogara and his cohorts in the House sought to destroy NEMA’s current DG was simply because he refused to play ball with the House in contract awards, which apparently abused due process.

    When plots of Dogara’s destructive linchpins failed to nail Prof. Osinbajo, a fresh plan was hatched. And the Speaker Dogara led House of Reps went unpretentiously for the jugular of Mr. President himself, by initiating a senseless, wrongly timed and misplaced probe of NNPC’s expenditure on Turn Around Maintenance (TAM). The President also doubles as Petroleum minister.

    Expectedly, the Hon. Garba Datti House Ad-hoc Committee to probe the justification for NNPC’s fresh request of $1.8 billion for TAM never concealed its witch-hunting mission of Mr. President. Instead of the House committee restricting itself to the defence of the $1.8 billion TAM 2018 budget proposal or what has been spent on maintenance of refineries in the last two years of the Buhari Presidency, the committee stretched beyond reasonable limits. It demanded from NNPC leadership to account for over $20 billion spent by successive governments on TAM since the refineries were built.

    So, the Ad-hoc committee turned a budget defence exercise into a illegal oversight function, just to find something incriminating to discredit the Buhari Presidency. And it is the dilemma of many other appointees of President Buhari, who have keyed into the “change” agenda, by refusing to lobby or induce the legislators as obtained in the past.

    Speaker Dogara needs to be told that leadership is a great burden and it comes with huge responsibilities and upright conduct is uppermost. And until he purges himself of the PDP spirit and instincts, he would continue to see himself a strange bedfellow in the APC government.

    Not certain, who is competent enough to exorcise this bad spirit in the nPDP in APC or someone who can compel them to discard the PDP mentality and embrace new ethics. But what is certain is that no one would allow these nPDP members to destroy the APC government, a plot they are perfecting. They should be reminded in the famed words of their goddess, Dame Patience Jonathan that “Diaris is God ooo!!!”

    Enyi is a political analyst and contributed this piece from Abuja.

  • PDP’s secret deal for Saraki, Dogara, Tambuwal, others

    •Party’s Contact and Integration Committee gets two-week extension
    •Jonathan’s ex-minister emerges dark horse in the race
    •Ex- Gov. Boni Haruna is Turaki’s Campaign DG
    •Dogara walks tight rope

    WHAT’S ON OFFER TO WHO

    • KWANKWASO: State PDP structure in Kano,  governorship ticket to his preferred candidate and Senatorial seat

     

    • SARAKI: PDP structure in Kwara,  governorship ticket to his candidate, Senate Presidency
    • presidential primaries, ministerial ticket if he loses 

      WAMMAKO: PDP structure in Sokoto, governorship ticket to his candidate, Senatorial seat

       

      DOGARA: Speaker, House of Reps; Ministerial appointment

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has given its Contact and Integration Committee a two-week extension to wrap up negotiations with Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who are keen on switching camps.

    Other bigwigs being expected are Governors Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto) and  Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); Senators Rabiu Kwankwaso, Danjuma Goje, Aliyu Wammako, Ahmad Sani Yerima, Adamu Aliero, Sulaiman Nazif, Isa Hammah Misau,  Muhammad Muhammad, Shehu Sani and Dino Melaye; as well as a former PDP national chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje; and about 120 members of the House of Representatives.

    The Nation gathered yesterday that the secret deals have dragged this long because of persistent review of positions and shifting of grounds by the personalities involved.

    Highly placed sources gave our correspondent an insight into the demands of some of the intending defectors whom the PDP committee has rated as “assets” and what the PDP is willing to concede to them.

    Former Kano State Governor Kwankwaso is being offered control of the state structure of the PDP and the governorship ticket to go to his candidate.

    But the party does not see him going far in his presidential bid.

    “The best he can get from PDP is a return to the Senate because he cannot go far in his presidential bid,” a source said.

    “The party will allow him to contest its presidential primaries but he may not be the ultimate flag-bearer. Other concessions to Kwankwaso are handing over the State PDP structure to him and governorship ticket to go to his candidate.”

    The party expects some backlash from the camp of a presidential aspirant, ex-Governor Ibrahim Shekarau once Kwankwaso returns to the fold.

    Accordingly, it plans to placate Shekarau with a ministerial slot and ask him to “name his terms.”

    Regarding Tambuwal, the source said: “Nothing can stop his desire for the presidential ticket of PDP because he is desperate for it and he has invested heavily on his ambition across the country such that none of the aspirants can match his goodwill at present.

    “But his aspiration, buoyed by a prominent and PDP-inclined Northern Emir, may not translate to victory at the presidential primaries of the party.

    “Certainly, he is a major contestant for the presidential ticket in PDP except that with ex-Governor (Sen.) Aliyu Wammako, he needs to work on Plan B in case he fails in his bid.

    “The most visible alternative if he fails to clinch the presidential ticket is a ministerial appointment.

    “A smart and slippery politician, Tambuwal has hijacked the APC structure in the state from Wammako. Learning from the need to protect the home front, Wammako’s negotiation centres on the need to control the PDP structure in Sokoto State and produce the next governor of the state having not enjoyed much from Tambuwal who was foisted on him in 2015. Wammako is said to be sure of a return to the Senate, courtesy of PDP.

    “Both Tambuwal and Wammako have a game changer and grassroots politician, ex-Governor Attahiru Bafarawa (also a presidential aspirant) to contend with. It was Bafarawa who brought Wammako (popularly called Alu) into politics.

    “The people of Sokoto State will be willing to offload Tambuwal who hardly stays in the state because of his shuttles for the presidency.”

    The source said Saraki would have loved to be PDP’s presidential candidate but having weighed his chances; he prefers retaining “his present powerful position of President of the Senate which he seems to be enjoying.”

    The PDP has assured him that the position will be retained in the North-Central, especially Kwara State.

    It has also promised to grant him the control of the structure of the party in Kwara and allow him determine the governorship candidate and candidates for other elective offices.

    The source added: “Saraki will determine the fate of his godson, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who has been pleading for the senatorial slot of Kwara South District.

    “Ahmed can either be a Senator or a minister since the present ministerial position given to Kwara State resides in Kwara South District.

    “What will become of our former national chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje is left to Saraki to decide. Although Baraje, a sharp, patient and visionary ex-principal with depth in party politics, nurses gubernatorial ambition, but for historical reasons, the  Ilorin Emirate Council is not disposed to him.

    “His gubernatorial ambition is limited and it is left to Saraki not to make him a complete loser again after he led the New PDP (nPDP) revolt in 2014.”

    It was also gathered that strategists of President Muhammadu Buhari are working out a response on the security reports available to them on Saraki’s moves and PDP offers.

    This includes “wooing some of the present PDP leaders in the state like Moshood Mustapha (a hitherto trusted ally of Saraki), a young and sensational governorship aspirant, Alhaji Luqman Mustapha, and Senator Gbemisola Saraki, among others.”

    The plan is “not only to win Kwara State (which looks Herculean) but to defeat the Senate President in Kwara Central Senatorial District and forestall his return to the Senate.”

    The PDP is said to be in a sort of dilemma on the fate of House of Reps Speaker Dogara, a Christian minority from Bauchi State as it is difficult for him to seek a Senatorial slot or be a governorship candidate.

    The options for PDP on him are to “concede a return to the House of Representatives to him so he can retain the seat of a Speaker if the party has the majority or make him a minister if the opposition defeats the APC in 2019.”

    The probability of Dogara becoming Speaker again is however said to be remote because the PDP wants to use the position as a bait to woo the South-West and defeat Buhari in the zone.

    Sources said Dogara is adamant on a return to his seat as Speaker.

    Another source, who is neck-deep in the defection talks, said: “Dogara is a major challenge for us because aside his Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency, he is a paper weight in Bauchi State politics.

    “There was a time he visited his constituency with about 250 policemen and soldiers. He cannot aspire to either be a Senator or a governor in his state because he is a Christian minority.

    “But if he is able to win re-election in his constituency, where he is almost a perpetual winner in the past few years, the PDP can retain him in office to appease the Middle Belt. Otherwise, the best he will get is a ministerial appointment.”

    “Other Senators from Bauchi namely Sulaiman Nazif, Isa Hammah Misau, and Muhammad Muhammad who all desire automatic return to the upper chamber have been promised senatorial tickets by the PDP.

    The PDP rates Senator Danjuma Goje highly and is willing to cede the party structure in Gombe State to him.

    “The fact that he is in control of Gombe State politics is not in doubt,” said a second source.

    “His main asset has been his excellent performance in office as governor which has remained unbroken. If not for the rebellion of some of his political godsons, APC would have produced the governor of the state in 2015.

    “The PDP has taken note of his reunification of his political family and it is banking on Goje for a landslide victory. The deals with Goje include securing the PDP platform, allowing him to produce the governorship candidate, and offer of a senatorial seat.”

    But Goje may be resisted by Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo who cannot leave his political fate to the senator to determine.

    When Goje’s wife died and Dankwambo accompanied First Lady Aisha Buhari to commiserate with him, Goje poured invectives on the governor. It won’t be easy for him to regain control of PDP structure in Gombe from Dankwambo, both sources acknowledged.

    For Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima whose political son, Governor Abdul-Aziz Yari has built a parallel platform in Zamfara State, his safe berth will be PDP.

    If his deal sails through, this will be the first time he will be in PDP camp since 1999.

    The top source added: “For Yarima, who has been in the Senate since 2007, he needs PDP to assert his role as the godfather of Zamfara politics.

    “With his ally, ex-Governor Mahmud Shinkafi defecting from PDP to APC, the calculation of the opposition is that Yarima is a big catch.

    “Yarima wants the party structure, Senatorial ticket, the right to nominate the governorship candidate, which Yari will not allow him to do.

    “His problem is turning against President Buhari. Since 2007, he has sold Buhari to the people of the state and it is a dilemma to turn around and paint the President bad. The consequence of a volte face might be politically costly for him.”

    Sources also told The Nation that it has not been smooth sailing for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the PDP since he returned to the party from the APC which he accused of sidelining him.

    They said he rushed to defect to PDP without “proper negotiation.”

    “The only thing he has benefited from his defection is the amendment to PDP Constitution which gives equal rights to new and old members, especially aspiration for presidency,” one of the sources said.

    “So far, he is savouring this right to aspire for the presidency but he has since discovered that he has more hurdles to cross and more aspirants to contest with.

    “He appears to be a lone ranger with PDP governors playing a hide and seek game with him.

    “Whatever is the situation, PDP will allow  Atiku a symbolic shot at presidential primaries (as a veteran since 1993), put the party structure in Adamawa under  his arm pit and allow him a substantial say in the nomination of governorship and ministerial candidates. If he loses the party’s presidential ticket, he will remain a local political benefactor.

    “His former boss, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo is his albatross,” the source added.

    The PDP has ex-Osun Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola on its radar as the coordinator of the coalition against APC in 2019.

    The source said: “We don’t know whether or not he is returning to PDP or staying put in CNM (Obasanjo’s inspired Coalition for Nigeria Movement) or ADC.

    “Whatever it is, the PDP might grant him a Senatorial ticket or a ministerial nomination which he had expected from the current APC administration.

    “But Oyinlola is reputed to be the brain behind the emergence of Senator Ademola Adeleke after the death of Sen. Isiaka Adeleke. He has been fingered in the governorship ambition of Ademola which the PDP may buy into in order to win Osun State Governorship poll.”

    The scenario in Kaduna appears an arduous task for PDP where an influential politician Isa Ashiru and Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi (a politician with large following) are seeking the governorship ticket of the PDP following their sealed defection from APC.

    “Both Ashiru and Hunkuyi are already trying to outwit each other for the governorship ticket. It appears Ashiru might get the slot and Hunkuyi will return to the Senate with Shehu Sani if he moves to PDP,” sources said.

    The horse-trading in PDP is likely to continue over the next two weeks before the gale of defections begins.

    A party source said yesterday that the PDP leadership “extended the timeline of the Committee contact and Integration Committee by two weeks.”

    Asked to react to the ongoing deals by defectors, the National Publicity of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan, who was non-committal, said: “Certainly, everybody has his interest and politics is a game of interest. They might want to find expression in our party and how to go about it.

    “Our party is open and we welcome every member who has become despondent with the administration of APC. We urge all democrats wherever they may be to allow the coalition to work in order to chase away this inept government of President Buhari.”

    It was also gathered that Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs in the Goodluck Jonathan Administration, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), is in the process of joining the presidential race on the platform of the PDP.

    Turaki, who is considered an aspirant without blemish, is being promoted by what a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) described as a “Third Force in PDP.”

    Some in the party see him as a dark horse in the race.

    Turaki has already set up his campaign directorate with ex-Governor Boni Haruna as Director-General.

    To assist Haruna are  ex-Military Governor of Bauchi State, Col. Habibu Shuaibu (rtd),  (Deputy DG North), and  ex-Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Steve Oru as Deputy DG (South).

    “The composition of the directorate during the week suggested a bigger accord and alliance in PDP,” a member of the NWC said.

    A member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), speaking on the ongoing horse-trading in the party said: “The odds favour a dark horse. Go and look at the history of past presidents and how they earned their tickets, it has been a story of dark horses.

    “Ex-President Shehu Shagari least expected his nomination; ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted only an eminent role as a statesman and he came out of Yola Prison to become President; ex-President Umaru Yar’Adua never aspired to be President and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was having lunch in Transcorp Hilton when Obasanjo invited him to come and be the nation’s Vice President which later propelled him into presidency with the Doctrine of Necessity.

    “Some leaders of the party are of the opinion that we should ignore lousy aspirants; those who have cases with anti-graft agencies and those who have issues with leaders of the coming coalition which may give President Muhammadu Buhari a fight. Unlike APC, we will pay much attention to age factor too. No room for old men like me.

    “If there are other younger elements like Turaki, we will all sit down and look at all the options. Dankwambo has age on his side but he is from the North-East. The only way to defeat Buhari is to get a presidential candidate from the North-West.

    “Governor Tambuwal is favoured by age but he has a challenge bordering on the fact that Governor Nyesom Wike and some of his colleagues are desperate to force him on the party. This is undemocratic. We will leave him to contest the primaries but he might not secure the ticket.”