Two sponsored articles have been trending on social media in the last few days written by one Auwulu Gotel and another by a faceless individual by name Ayodele who are both apologists of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. It is obvious that Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his co-travellers are rattled by the principled position taken by Northern Christian APC Leaders including Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal and Senator Elisha Abbo among others.
Without mincing words, I will address the allegations, concoction and fabrications in the following order:
Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara was called to Bar as a lawyer in 1993 and by 2003 he was already a successful lawyer with 10 years experience . My checks reveal that by 2002-2003 he was in the UK for his masters Degree. So, how would he have been a “mere class room teacher” in 2003?
We await the scientific data on the false assertions that Governor Ahmadu Adamu Muazu single handedly got Hon Dogara elected into the House of Representatives in 2007. Were it to be so, why didn’t he also make another Christian a member in a Muslim dominated constituencies in Bauchi, such as Alkaleri, Dambam, Ganjuwa, Kirfi, Toro, Warji that have sizeable christian population except Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa? But it is true Gov Muazu played a role and even came to the primaries himself being a constituent to vote for him. I thank Muslims like him for realising that the future is muslim- Christian not Muslim-Muslim.
It is also not true that in 2011 A MUSLIM Governor in PDP prevented all Muslims aspiring for Hon Dogara’s seat from contesting, including some of his commissioners, to make sure you emerged as the only candidate/contestant in PDP. It is also total falsehood that there was no primary election and that Yuguda went ahead, using incumbency powers and state resources, to ensure Hon Dogara defeated two Muslim candidates in a “Muslim Constituency”.
This is nothing but lies from the pit of hell from a half baked illiterate. Primaries held in Tafawa Balewa Town with the then appointed caretaker Chairman of Tafawa Balewa LGA, a close ally of Gov Yuguda who contested against Hon Dogara and lost despite using state machineries.
In 2015, Governor Isa Yuguda did everything humanly possible to stop Dogara’s re-election including moving the collation center to his private farm in Liman Katagum which was only reversed after a court judgment before the election. Having failed to stop Dogara at the primaries and he went on to win the general. As a matter of fact, Boko Haram elements were despatched to attack the collation centre but were successfully repelled. See links here:
That a Muslim Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and other lieutenants like Abdulmumin Jibrin, Suleiman Lasun, Alhassan Doguwa made sure Hon Dogara became the Speaker of the National Assembly in 2015. That was also with the support and blessings of some top Muslim leaders in the country.
Of course his emergence was due to the hard work of so many Muslims and Christians who believe in managing our diversity better, which he always acknowledges. But Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa never supported Rt Hon Dogara in 2015, infact, it was he who led the revolt. It was he who even desecrated the hallowed chamber and climbed the table and threw away our constitution and law books. So the writers should get their facts right except they are deliberately and mischievously attempting to misguide their audience.
That Hon Dogara was ejected from the APC in 2019 and that Governor Bala Mohammed gave him a platform to remain relevant.
Go to the streets in Bauchi, the music is, ” Goje uban Kaura”. If he doesn’t understand hausa, I encourage him to seek for interpretation. Does he know that Gov Bala’s House of Reps member is an APC member? If Gov Bala couldn’t deliver his own Constituency to PDP how could he have used his “magic wand” to deliver that of Bogoro,/Dass/Tafawa Balewa to Rt Hon Dogara? This kind of contraption can only come from a depraved mind. We know the history and history can’t be changed.
To say that all through his political sojourn Muslims were the only ones that raised raised him to prominence and that no single Christian gave him any formidable support is another lie from the pit of hell.
Hon Dogara has enjoyed the support of both Christians and Muslims in all his career. His career as a lawyer and businessman blossomed through the support of notable Christian mentors including General Jeremiah Useini, the late Colonel E N Nandap just to name but a few.
Hon Dogara himself, said he it not againts Islam or Muslims but he is againts injustice, politics of exclusion and division because it will do the North and Nigeria no good. Is there any where in his speech that he said Muslims have never helped him? Has he asked how many Muslims Rt Hon Dogara has helped?
How dare you portray someone who supported PMB against Jonathan In 2015 a bigot. Someone who supported Asiwaju, a Muslim in a Presidential Primaries against the likes of Pastor Osibanjo and Ameachi who are Christians?
He respects, loves and enjoys friendship of cosmopolitan and good Muslim leaders and politicians including but not limited to His Eminence the Sultan, Sheik Dahiru Bauchi, Sheik Gumi, Sheik Yahaya Jingir among others.
Nigerian Christians cannot succumbed to this cheap blackmail of being forced to accept Muslim-Muslim ticket in the APC. How many Muslims in this country will ever accept or support a Christian-Christian ticket? If the reverse were the case can these same writers accept it? So who are they trying to fool?
Dogara and Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal and all Christian APC Leaders are not fighting for themselves, no. It is a fight for justice and inclusion which every peace loving muslim and Christian must wage.They are simply multiplying the voices of all peace loving Nigerians not just Christians.
Had Asiwaju Bola Tinubu balanced the ticket, nobody will have objected to it. We will all support him. Hon Dogara would have been going all around to rally support for him not minding the fact that he is a muslim.
Only a bigot will see nothing wrong with a Muslim-Muslim ticket while at the same time saying he wont accept a muslim – Christian ticket.
In any case, where are all the Muslims that he said helped Dogara? Are they in APC now or have left ? Assume they were believers of only muslim – muslim project in Nigeria could they have helped Dogara? Those are the kinds of Muslims we respect and must work with not your extremist types who cannot help those that are not of the same faith with you. You guys have made the North ungovernable theough your intolerance and if we don’t stop you in your tracks, you will soon make Nigeria ungovernable. Take it or leave it, there are so many Muslims who believe in unity and peace and we will work together with them to stop you.
By the way, you are also telling the southerners most of whom are Christians that they should go to hell whereas, the oil resources that sustain Nigeria is taken from the deep south, christian land. Any Government that does not carry almost more than half the country along will not succeed. All we are saying is that Christians cannot do it alone, neither Muslims. We must all work it our together regardless of religious inclinations.
Those who have opted to go the way of total exclusion of Christians from their ticket should face the consequences. They should leave Hon Dogara alone and live with the consequences of their decision. It is within the right of every Nigerian to support or not to support them.
Bagudu Sambo writes from Gombe
