The immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has pitched his tent with the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar (Retd).

Dogara, who dumped the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party in 2022, has since been leading a coalition of different interest and political groups against Governor Bala Mohammed who is seeking re-election on the platform of the PDP.

Notable amongst political heavy weights and leaders in the coalition included second Republic minister and an elder statesman, Bello Kirfi, PDP chieftain, Senator Suleiman Nazif, Senator Isa Hamma Misau, Hon. Abdulmumin Kudak, Hon. Mohammed Sani Abdu, and Hon. Yakubu Abdullahi Wowo, among others.

In 2019, Dogara, as sitting Speaker, led a similar coalition that ousted Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar of the APC from the seat of Bauchi governor.

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Shortly after his emergence as governor, Bala Mohammed fell out with most of the political stalwarts who came together and supported his election.

He was accused of reneging on potlical agreements reached before the election and corruption including diversion of local government funds., non-payment of workers salaries, and pension, among others.

Responding to questions by journalists as to whether he has returned to the APC by supporting its candidate for Bauchi governorship, Dogara said: “I am supporting candidates not parties.”

The former Speaker had supported and delivered his two proteges, Shehu Buba and Jafaru Leko, in the APC who were elected as senator and member of the House of Representatives, respectively.

He had said all his candidates except the presidential are in the APC.

For the past weeks, Dogara has been leading campaign of Abubakar across Bauchi State where he described the four years regime of Governor Mohammed as “a disaster” to the people of the state.

The Star