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Tag: Yakubu Dogara

  • Dogara is a sinking man, says Bauchi gov

    Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abubakar on Tuesday dismissed Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara as a sinking man desperate to hold on to any straw for survival.

    The governor, who spoke to newsmen at the APC National secretariat in Abuja, also cautioned as the nation’s number four citizen, the Speaker cannot afford to be careless in his utterances.

    He said: “Dogara is from a tiny community in Bauchi state and is contesting for one of the 12 House of Representatives seats in Bauchi state and I am contesting for Governor. Even if we will meet, we are going g to meet in that tiny area.

    “I understand where he is coming from. He is a sinking man and so, he is grabbing everything he can hold on to. I am not his opponent in the election.

    Read Also: Dogara, two others formally defect to PDP as House adjourns

    “What people failed to understand is that in 2015, the President did not win election in Dogara’s local government and I did not win election in his local government.

    “But today, Buhari is President of Nigeria and I am governor of Bauchi state. Secondly, people should understand that Dogara represents a total of 80,000 registered voters and I won elections in 2015 with over 300,000 differences. Please do your arithmetic and place it very well.”

    He went on: “Go to the website of the Federal Ministry of Finance, download the total allocation to Bauchi state from June 2015 till date and do a calculation.

    “You will have a total allocation for the entire Bauchi state. It is not up to N400 billion.

    “So, Dogara, as the number four citizen of Nigeria should be careful with his utterances because there is no way the number four citizen can afford to be reckless in whatever he says.

    “I have consulted with my lawyers and I intend to sue Dogara and so, I will not comment much on his claims.

    “I have said that Dogara should be careful in his utterances because he speaks without considering what comes out of his mouth.”

    On the marching order to security agencies to arrest electoral offenders, especially ballot box snatchers by President Muhammadu Buhari, Abubakar said: “Mr. President is the chief security officer of Nigeria. Anybody who snatches a ballot box is a common criminal under the law.

    “Therefore, stopping a criminal is not an act that should be politicized because we keep complaining of lack of free, fair and transparent elections in Nigeria and Mr. President is bent on ensuring that the 2019 elections are free, fair and transparent.

    “So, if it takes stopping criminals to ensure credible elections, so be it. There is nothing wrong about stopping criminal, even you as a citizen as the right under the constitution t9 stop criminals in the act of committing an offense.”

  • Buhari’s directive could lead to extra-judicial killings – Dogara

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara has faulted the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to security agencies to deal ruthlessly with anyone who may attempt to snatch ballot boxes during the rescheduled presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday.

    Speaking at a national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Monday, Buhari had said, “Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disturb the election, may be that would be the last unlawful action you would take.

    “I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless. I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own life”.

    But addressing newsmen in Abuja on Monday, Dogara said the President’s directive to the military and the police amounted to a call for extra judicial killings of would- be electoral offenders.

    The Speaker reminded the President there were adequate provisions in the nation’s laws to address electoral offences.

    Dogara said: “These statements clearly indicate that our democracy has become the victim of a full blown dictatorship, when one considers that a democratically elected President would give a directive that is in clear violation of the laws of the land, which by his oath of office, he is to defend and protect.

    “In view of this statement by the President, it is obvious that the military has been given a central role and coopted into the conduct of the election despite the fact that they have no constitutional role in our electoral process”.

    Speaker Dogara described as false claims and unnecessary blackmail, a statement by the national chairman of the APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, to the effect that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) gave the PDP prior notice of the postponement of the February 16 elections.

    He recalled that the PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus was the first to call for an inquiry into why INEC postponed the elections.

    The Speaker added the PDP will support a genuine and transparent probe into why the presidential and National Assembly elections could not hold.

    Read Also: Why I left APC – Dogara

    He expressed the hope that the President’s inflammatory statement was not a direct threat aimed at intimidating the electoral commission.

    “We also strongly condemn Mr. Oshiomole’s false, mischievous and inflammatory claims against our party, when he said INEC colluded with PDP to abort last week’s elections.

    “This is a very surprising statement considering the fact that the Federal Government controls every institution and agency involved in the electoral process, including the CBN, Nigerian Airforce, Aviation authorities amongst others.

    “From our position, we strongly believe that the deliberate delivery of election materials to the wrong electoral centres, cancellation of flights, and other actions that undermined the logistics arrangement of INEC, were deliberately done to sabotage and manipulate the process.

    “We are also very familiar with the pressure brought on INEC by top government officials and APC leaders to go ahead with the elections despite not being adequately prepared for the election.

    “We are also aware the APC wanted the INEC chairman to conduct elections in some states and postpone in other states so as to have staggered elections.

    “It should also be noted that the areas that would have been affected by inadequate delivery of materials were PDP strongholds.”

    He added: “Obviously, we know they are doing everything humanly possible to discredit INEC, remove the chairman and stall the process conscious of the fact that they cannot win this election.

    “Embarrassingly, this is the first time that we have witnessed a ruling party play victim, which is a clear indication that they have lost the plot.

    “Evidently, their recent actions and statements clearly show they are panicking and desperate to cling onto power, even when the people have rejected them.

    “Also, opinion polls conducted by the APC, and other international agencies clearly indicate that the APC will lose this election, anytime it is conducted; we believe that is why they are resorting to desperate measures of arm-twisting the electoral commission, undermining the entire process and planning to unleash terror on the country.

    “Finally, let it be known that the PDP, with the support of every well- meaning Nigerian, will employ every legitimate means to resist attempts by the APC and the Federal Government to undermine and compromise the electoral process and truncate our democracy.”

  • Dogara, two others formally defect to PDP as House adjourns

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Dogara announced his withdrawal from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a letter he read on the floor on Tuesday.

    Read Also: Dogara calls for caution in prosecution of CJN

    He said he had to defect back to the party on whose platform he originally came to the House.

    The House has adjourned sitting till after the general election, 19th February, 2019.

    Two other APC lawmakers, Edward Pwajok (Plateau) and Ahmed Yerima (Bauchi) also announced their defection.

    Their letters were also read by the Speaker.

  • Onnoghen: Nigeria now a full-blown dictatorship – Dogara

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has flayed the Buhari regime for what he called the unconstitutional suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onneghen.

    According to Dogara, President Muhammadu Buhari has served the world with notice that Nigeria is now a full-blown dictatorship.

    The Speaker, in a statement he signed himself further stated:

    “This did not come as a rude shock except to those that have been blind to the gradual but progressive erosion of democratic values in the polity as President Buhari’s Government has never hidden its disdain for the rule of law.

    “We have watched in disbelief as the Government recklessly deploys institutional prerogatives; routinely flouts the rule of law; subverts and assaults democratic Institutions; refuses to accept opponents as legitimate; suppresses citizens civil liberties (especially those of opponents) and trample underfoot the media.

    “In short, the Government’s tyrannical and authoritarian credentials are loathsomely legendary.”

    Dogara noted that no provision in Sections 157 and 292 of the 1999 Constitution as amended supports the President in purporting to suspend the CJN or swearing in an acting CJN.

    “The whole idea of a limited government is that the President’s powers is limited by law and it is ultra vires his powers to act in the absence of explicit legislative authorization. That is representative democracy at its best which our 1999 Constitution as amended guarantees.

    “It is instructive to note that our Constitution does not contemplate or presupposes a situation whereby the Judiciary will have a suspended CJN and an acting CJN at the same time.

    Read Also: NASS don’t hate President Buhari – Dogara

    “Therefore, it is right to posit, as some have done that the President now has his own Chief Judge to do his bidding while Nigeria has a sitting CJN until he is removed in line with the provisions of the Constitution.

    “The awfully crude annexation of the judiciary by the President in violation of his oath of office and the Constitution cannot be for any other reason except, as alleged by so many, to prepare the judiciary ahead of time for the purpose of conferring some aura of legitimacy to the contraption that the 2019 general elections may after all become.

    “I therefore call on the President to remember that he has no better legacy to bequeath other than a good name: which cannot be achieved without honour, character and integrity.

    “Honour and integrity demand that he upholds his oath of office by reversing this assault on our Constitution and following the manifestly clear and unambiguous constitutional procedure for the removal of the CJN if he must be removed. Anything short of this demeans all of us.

    “To our citizens, we must now head the warning of the Irish lawyer cum orator, John Philpot Curran who said, “the condition upon which God had given liberty to man is eternal vigilance: which condition if he breaks, servitude is at once the consequences of his crime, and the punishment of his guilt”. Despotism can only prosper in Nigeria if good men and women do nothing.

    “I also call on all lovers of freedom and democracy all over the world to rise to the occasion and demand of this Government and the President to halt the march to anarchy and bedlam: which dictatorship promotes. The world has an experience in this and it must not allow this unmitigated disaster on Nigeria  before it acts to restore sanity.

    “As of today, Nigeria is now Germany in the wake of the 1933 Reichstag fire. Our democracy is on fire; ignited by the very people who swore to protect and defend it. That this fire must not convert the Chancellor to Fuhrer as it happened in Germany in 1933 depends on our collective response and that of the international community.

    “We must not bow our knees to dictatorship: not now, not ever again,” Dogara said.

  • Reps halt debate on 2019 Budget proposal

    The House of Representatives has stepped down further debate on the 2019 Appropriation Bill.

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara said the outcome of the reconciliation meeting with officials of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Budget and National Planning and the Budget Office was not ready.

    He, however, expressed hope that the reconciliation would be concluded on time for further legislative work to continue by Tuesday.

    Read Also: 2019 Budget: Reps to meet Ministers over errors in figures

    As a result, he said further debate would be postponed to Tuesday.

    Recall that a number error in figures for some Ministries, Departments and Agencies forced the lawmakers into restricted comments on the budget document on Wednesday.

  • 2019 Budget: Reps to meet Ministers over errors in figures

    The House of Representatives would meet with the Finance, Budget and National Ministers as well as the Director General (DG) of the National Budget Office over fundamental errors in figures in the 2019 Appropriation Bill.

    This is as Speaker Yakubu Dogara resisted attempt to shelve the debate once again after Rita Orji (PDP, Lagos) raised a point of order that the number of lawmakers on the floor did not meet the required number for a quorum for plenary.

    The Speaker said since she has no knowledge of the number of lawmakers on the register, it will be impossible for her to know if the floor meets the quorum requirement, adding that the physical presence of members on the floor is not the deciding factor.

    The debate of the bill was twice put off due to the same reason of errors in figures and need for members to have enough time to go through it for informed constitutions to the debate.

    However, when the debate commenced, Chika Adamu (APC, Niger) noted that proposed allocations to the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Budget Office and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation under main statutory components did not correspond with the total summary in the document.

    As a result, he requested if contributions to the debate could continue or be restricted to the general principles of the bill.

    In his contribution, Ahman Pategi (PDP, Kwara) explained that the difference in figures could be down to typographical error because all allocations figures were correct except in the summary section.

    He suggested that the leadership of appropriate Committee of the House should meet with the leadership of the affected agencies to sort it out.

    He also noted that the figures could be corrected when the bill gets to the Committee stage where thorough scrutiny of the document would be done.

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara went into discussion with the Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun and others after which he announced that the debate would continue.

    He said the irreconcilable figures in the document meant contributions would be restricted to the general principles while the leader of the Appropriation and Finance Committee would meet the Finance and Budget and Planning Ministries and the Budget Office.

    He said the outcome of the meeting, with the correct figures, would be provided before the conclusion of debate on the 2019 Appropriation Bill on Thursday.

    Earlier, in his contribution, Deputy Speaker Lasun said it has become extremely important for Nigerians to realize the economic status of the country in comparison to other economies.

    He said the size of the 2019 budget in actual sense, compared to the population does not portray the country as rich with the N8.83 trillion budget being just about $10b.

    According to him, when spread around the population, what is spent by the government on an individual is disheartening and as such it has become necessary for the government and the populace to explore other sustainable alternatives to fund the economy.

    Read Also; Reps summon PenCom DG, PFAs over alleged N8tr fund misuse

    The Deputy Speaker also noted that the dwindling contribution of oil revenue to the 2019 budget going down to about 67 percent, the government and the populace must be forced to explore other means of funding and sustaining the economy.

    Lasun, who appealed for a speedy passage of the Bill also drew attention to poor implementation of budgets, which he said should be critically looked into, as well as a need to decide the type of budgeting system the country should adopt.

    He said policy somersault once one is adopted should be avoided, “Because we have seen how the various models we adopted in the past have not really worked.

    “It time for us to think out of the box. Maybe if we had stuck to one, appreciable economic progress would have been recorded over the years. We also have to look at whether the size of our budget can sustain a meaningful development.

    “I will, however, appeal to the Executive to try as much as possible to implement this budget,” he added.

  • NASS don’t hate President Buhari – Dogara

    The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, says the National Assembly does not hate President Muhammadu Buhari but only exercising its independence.

    Dogara said this on Saturday at the launching of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), for the gubernatorial and National Assembly candidates in Bununu, Bauchi State.

    “None of us hates President Buhari and we are not against him, but we are only exercising our independence as contained in the Constitution.

    “We are all looking at the plight of our people, especially insurgency, poverty and other vices that have continued to bedevil the masses.

    “You can see what is happening between American president and the legislature which is normal,” he said.

    Dogara recalled that NASS had sometime last year, initiated a Bill for the autonomy of Local Government Areas but regretted that it was aborted by State Assemblies.

    He emphasized that the autonomy would have diversified development to rural areas where majority of the people lived.

    Dogara stated that Alhaji Abdulkadir Muhammed, the Bauchi State Gubernatorial candidate of the PDP would decentralise the local government system in the state, even without the approval of the Federal Government.

    The speaker said that personal efforts made by him to reconstruct mosques and schools in his constituency were scuttled by some individuals.

    He warned the people against trying to instigate trouble in the areas, saying that “it is always retrogressive.”

    Read Also: Akpabio chides Saraki, Dogara

    The gubernatorial candidate, Mohammed while addressing the gathering, called on the people of the area to resist the proposal by INEC to relocate collation centre from Zwall to Dass.

    Mohammed, who stressed the need for people to change the present administration in the state, assured that PDP would take over the state in 2019 general elections.

    He pledged to provide functional education, infrastructure and agriculture, if elected into office.

    NAN

  • Reps adjourn plenary in honour of late Shagari

    The House of Representatives upon resumption for the 2019 legislative duty on Wednesday, adjourned proceedings till Thursday in honour of late Rep. Abayomi Ayeola and former President Shehu Shagari.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the sitting was the first in 2019 after the Christmas and New Year break.

    Late Ayeola, a serving member of the House representing Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency in Lagos state on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) died during the break.

    Similarly, Shagari who was one time member of the House died on Dec. 31, 2018 during the break.

    Read Also: Should FUTA be named after Shagari?

    The Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara after reading official communications from families of the deceased at plenary called for prayers for the repose of their souls.

    Rep. Pally Iriase offered the Christian prayers, while Rep. Chika Adamu offered the Islamic prayers.

    Dogara, later announced that Thursday’s plenary would be used for valediction in honour of Ayeola and Shagari.
    It is the tradition of the House to adjourn plenary for a day in the event of the death of serving member.

  • Video: Buhari, Osinbajo, others lay wreaths for heroes

    President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday led other top government officials and Service chiefs to lay wreaths in honour of soldiers who died in service in Nigeria and at international assignments.

    The ceremony was to mark the 2019 Armed Forces Remembrance Day.

    January 15th every year is also dedicated to remembering and appreciating surviving Nigerian military men who have retired from active service.

    It was the fourth time President Buhari as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was laying the wreath in a democratic setting.

    Buhari was clad in white ‘Babanriga’, just like Osinbajo, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara,

    The wreaths-laying ceremony at the National Arcade in the Three Arms Zone in Abuja came after over a month that the 2019 Armed Forces Remembrance Day emblem and Appeal Fund was launched by the President.

    Read Also: Soldiers’ valour, sacrifice makes a nation – Buratai

    The brief ceremony started around 11.00 a.m. when President Buhari arrived the National Arcade and inspected the guard of honour.

    Christian and Muslim prayers were offered for the departed souls and the nation.

    One minute silence was observed in honour of the departed souls and there was gun salute during the wreath-laying ceremony.

    Vice President Osinbajo, Saraki, Dogara, Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen, Minister of Defence, Dan Ali Mansur, were among top government officials who also laid wreaths.

    Others that laid wreaths include Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mohammed Bello, Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai and other service chiefs, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris (performing his last official role).

    President Buhari also signed the register and led the dignitaries to release white pigeons at the no speech making ceremony.
    Top government officials, including cabinet members, attended the ceremony

     

  • Dogara calls for caution in prosecution of CJN

    Speaker of  House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has called for caution in the prosecution of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen for alleged failure to declare assets.

    Dogara in a statement issued by his Special Adviser, Media and Public Affairs, Mr Turaki Hassan on Sunday in Abuja, said that due process should be followed in handling the matter.

    According to him, while the House awaits further briefing from relevant agencies, it is important that due process was followed because Nigeria is a country governed by laws and not dictates of men.

    He said the House was not less zealous in the fight against corruption, but said to commence a matter of that grave magnitude with a media trial was pregnant with innuendos least needed by the polity at this sensitive time.

    “Nigeria is a country governed by laws with clearly spelt out procedures and processes for their activation and not the dictates of men.

    “It is important that people in authority should exercise power with decorum and not plunge the nation to needless crises as Nigeria is not a banana republic.

    “This is a matter that affects another arm of government and its head which should be treated with caution so as not to send the wrong signal that there is a political undertone or other ulterior motives to the issue.

    “As we raised our voice when the National Assembly was invaded by  security men last year, it is incumbent on us as the legislature to voice our concerns because we operate under a system where three arms of government are co – equal branches and enjoy a measure of independence guaranteed by the Constitution.

    “As we approach the general elections, it is incumbent on the prosecutorial authorities to exercise caution and treat matters of this nature with utmost circumspection,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the CJN will appear before the Justice Danladi Yakubu led- Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in Abuja on six charges, bordering on failure to declare his assets as required by law and for operating bank domiciliary foreign currency accounts.

    The nation’s head of judiciary was also accused of refusal to declare his assets in breach of the provisions of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act.

    He was accused of maintaining domiciliary foreign currencies account which comprised dollars, pound sterling and euro accounts which were alleged to be contrary to relevant laws, especially for public office holders. (NAN)