Dogara, Abubakar and the Bauchi battleground
In what may be an attempt to divert public attention from the budget-padding scandal in the House of Representatives, the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has started what some people regard as a misplaced war against Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State. According to media reports, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, recently led some lawmakers from Bauchi State to the Presidential Villa where they informed President Muhammadu Buhari that Gov. Mohammed Abubakar allegedly misappropriated the bailout funds meant for arrears of salaries of state workers.
This was the focus of the essay, “Between Dogara, Gov. Abubakar and Bauchi People” (Vanguard, Friday, September 9, 2016, p31).
Interestingly, there has never been protest from the workers, indicating that Gov. Abubakar short-changed them by not paying their arrears of salaries and allowances from the bailout funds. There are also no petitions from the various workers’ unions in the state to the House of Assembly accusing the governor of not paying their salary arrears. In fact, there is concrete evidence that investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on the matter showed that almost the entire bailout funds to Bauchi State were prudently deployed for the actual purposes. Question is; from where did Dogara and his team manufacture the allegation that Gov. Abubakar misappropriated the bailout funds for Bauchi State workers?
Let us even assume without conceding that Gov. Abubakar actually misappropriated the bailout funds earmarked for payment of salary arrears in Bauchi State. Question remains: What is the proper procedure for getting justice for workers of Bauchi State over the bailout matter? Is it by reporting the governor to President Buhari or by sending a formal petition against him to the Bauchi House of Assembly that the workers will get justice? Has President Buhari or the national leadership of the party any powers to sanction or punish an erring state governor over the misappropriation of public funds? From all indication, it would appear that Dogara wanted to use the pretext of reporting Abubakar to Buhari and the APC national leadership over the bailout funds to curry favour from Buhari and other heavy weights in his political battles with Gov.Abubakar.
Ever since Abubakar outplayed and outmaneuvered all the political tendencies in the Bauchi APC to emerge gubernatorial candidate in the 2015 election, it appears the Dogara group has refused all entreaties for genuine reconciliation. This is in spite of the fact that Gov. Abubakar has bent backwards and appointed elements from all the political tendencies of the state APC, including the Dogara group, as commissioners and senior special assistants. The only reason the Dogara group appears not interested in any peaceful resolution of the lingering political battle may be his desire to dictate the course of events in Bauchi State, even as he is presiding over affairs in the House of Representatives as Speaker. No governor worth his salt would allow what Dogara is allegedly scheming to prevail in his domain.
It is unfortunate that in an attempt to realise his own political ambitions in Bauchi, Dogara elected to project the falsehood that Abubakar allegedly misappropriated the bailout funds. Dogara’s objective seems to be that of getting President Buhari’s ears, through vile and deceitful propaganda, to support his personal vendetta against Gov. Abubakar. Nevertheless, why should Dogara disguise a personal political ambition as public-interest struggle for Bauchi State workers? Does Dogara think Nigerians are dunderheads? Dogara should be man enough to face his tribulations in the House of Representatives over the budget-padding scandal now that lawmakers have resumed from their vacation and leave Gov. Abubakar alone.
As Governor Abubakar pointed out after meeting with President Buhari; his problem with Dogara came to full bloom after he supported the position of the Presidency that the leadership of the National Assembly must be as suggested by the national leadership of the APC. If so, why mask this devious scheming against Abubakar with spurious allegations about misapplication of bailout funds? Dogara’s posturing is definitely not that of a decent and humble politician out to serve the people, but of a vendetta-seeking politician intent on giving Abubakar a bad name in order to hang him for not doing his political bidding.
Dr. Nwanuforo, a researcher, contributed this piece from Central District, Abuja.
