Dogara leads coalition of top Bauchi political leaders to kick out gov Bala

The immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, is leading a coalition of different interest and political groups against Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State.

The coalition comprises notable political heavyweights and leaders including a second Republic minister and elder statesman, Bello Kirfi and another PDP chieftain, Senator Suleiman Nazif.

Others are Senator Isa Hamma Misau, Hon Abdulmumin Kudak, Hon Mohammed Sani Abdu, Hon Yakubu Abdullahi Wowo, amongst others.

The former speaker, although a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has pitched his tent with the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, retired Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar.

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

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

He was accused of reneging on political 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, he said: “I am supporting candidates not parties”.

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

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

For the past weeks, he has been leading the campaign of the APC candidate across the length and breadth of Bauchi State where he described the four years of Mr Mohammed as a disaster to the people of the state.