Chuks Okocha in Abuja
Ripples of the last week’s defection of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have continued as the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jubrin, yesterday said the former Speaker defected to pursue his presidential ambition.
He also said Dogara’s presidential ambition could not be realised within the PDP.
Jubrin said: “As a member of the BoT, Dogara never complained of any misunderstanding or quarrel with the Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed.”
In a statement he signed, the PDP BoT chairman said: “I suspects that the former speaker has a plan. I begin to suspect that Dogara has a plan of becoming president or vice president in 2023 which he knows he will never archive in PDP.
The PDP BoT chairman said he is sorry for Dogara after reading his reasons for dumping the PDP, stating that he discovered that the reasons are self-serving, as the former Speaker never complained to him as the BoT chairman of any wrong doing against the governor of Bauchi State.
According to the PDP BoT chairman, “I have read with mixed feelings the reasons given by former Speaker Dogara for decamping to the APC. I am equally sorry for Dogara for not adhering to all avenues available in the party constitution for settlement of disputes or complaints by a member of the party.
“I became more disturbed with the reasons given by Dogara for his defection, considering his position as a former Speaker. In his position as a member of BoT, Dogara has never laid any complaints to me as the chairman of BoT which is the highest advisory organ of the party and the conscience of the party.”
Jibrin said: “Considering seriously the reasons given by Dogara for his defection, one is compelled to state that Dogara has no strong reasons for leaving PDP. I am beginning to suspect that he has an underground motive for joining APC.
“I want to assure the former Speaker that PDP shall continue to be very strong and united and its doors shall remain open to all Nigerians, therefore, PDP will never accept any plan from anybody to destroy the party.
“As chairman of BoT, I urge all members of the party to remain calm and strong as the BoT will continue to play its role as the conscience of the party as contained in its constitution.”
Similarly, Jubrin said BoT is in total support of Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State in winning the next governorship election in September.
He said that the BoT is making its arrangements to visit Edo State in order to ensure the success of Obaseki in the poll, adding that BoT will also visit the PDP governors and party hierarchy in the states.
