Paul Orude, Bauchi

A group loyal to House Speaker Yakubu Dogara has raised alarm that an unknown clandestine group suspected to be hired by a politician in Bauchi State is out to discredit the Speaker over an alleged plot to impeach President Muhammad Buhari by the National Assembly.

The pro-Dogara group was reacting to a press conference addressed earlier by an anti-Dogara group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, which alleged that Dogara was much involved in the alleged plot to impeach the President.

The anti-Dogara group had disassociated itself from the alleged plot to impeach Buhari by the National Assembly with the alleged support of Dogara, saying Dogara’s recent actions leave much to be desired.

They criticized Dogara’s failure to attend the recent APC ward, local government area and state congresses in Bauchi State, saying that Dogara was playing anti-party politics.

But addressing journalists at the NUJ secretariat on Sunday, Honorable Muhammad Aminu Tukur, member representing Lere/Bula constituency, explained that the spokespersons of the group purported to be Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Dass, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro in Bauchi State, “are parading themselves illegally.”

Tukur said that the so called ‘elected’ party chairmen of the LGAs under reference were parading themselves as such and run the risk of arrest on grounds of contempt of court.

He said: “Haruna Rikiya, the so called Chairman of APC Bogoro LG became Chairman of APC in 2014 upon being nominated and appointed by the Rt. Hon. Speaker Yakubu Dogara. By this, his actions and utterances ought to be in conformity with the decisions and the endorsement of Dogara.”

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Tukur, who was in company with Captain Bala Jibril, an APC governorship aspirant, explained that Dogara had been the most consistent and highest donor of funds to the President’s campaign from 2014 to 2015.

He explained that Dogara could not have been part of any plot to impeach the president because Buhari, over the last three years, has been making pronouncements on the personality, virtue and integrity of Dogara.

He maintained that Dogara had been the only link between the Presidency and the National Assembly in resolving issues of conflict between the two arms of government.

Tukur alleged that Haruna Rikiya had been a serial traitor, who in 2014 voted Rochas Okorocha as his presidential candidate, and was among those that pleaded with Dogara to forgive him.

He further added that “Rikiya sold the mandate of the PDP in the State Elections, hence our State Assembly candidate failed to be returned or elected. There is evidence of cash transaction through a bank cheque from the PDP candidate who won the election.

“Dogara gave this ingrate two cars, a Passat VW and a Toyota Highlander and… give him constant financial bailouts and free ticket to Jerusalem for pilgrimage.

“Severally, Rikiya had solicited for my intervention for reconciliation with Dogara and has always been attended to. I had to take him to Abuja to plead for forgiveness from his chains of misdeeds and lack of foresight,” he said.