At last, Dogara confirms exit from APC

Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has finally
announced his exit from the All Progressives Congress,APC.

Dogara made the announcement on Thursday while submitting his
nomination form at the national secretariat of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) in Abuja

Recall that the Speaker was issued nomination forms of the PDP for
2019 election last week by some of his constituents.

On why he dumped the ruling party, Dogara said, APC was not committed
to keeping the promise it made to Nigerians at both state and federal
levels.

According to him, "APC's initial agenda of bringing positive change to
Nigeria had been thwarted by the rebelliously wayward sense of
entitlement of some people."

Dogara added that he decided to dump the party because he could not
continue to function within a system that his conscience was not in
alignment with.

He said, "For some of us who are here who are wondering, because it
has been said that I cannot move from where I was to, perhaps, any
other political party, that discussion has been ongoing, so today's
event marks the end of all speculations.

"To begin with, I was a founding member of this party, which is what a
lot of people do not know. I worked with Professor Yohanna Madaki of
blessed memory, as a junior counsel, and we helped to put together the
first PDP Constitution. For anybody who doubts that I have the rough
working sheets with me today, I can produce it.

"So, this is home to me but on account of certain developments, I had
to leave the party for another party for Nigeria's nationhood, then
believing that we were teaming with spirited people to build a new
Nigeria.

"APC in Bauchi has failed to deliver on all the promises made by him
and others who campaigned across the state for the governor to be
elected.

"Well, I do not want to be a prophet of lamentation. I am not known to
be lamenting too much but everybody knows where we are, particularly
in Bauchi State, all the stakeholders are here. It will take someone
who has lost his conscience to still support the order that is in the
state. I was part of the people that built the APC in the state, I
went round the state campaigning for the APC and I can tell you that
we have not fulfilled a single promise that we made.

"Nationally, we all know what is happening. I will speak to that,
maybe, in another occasion, I will tell my story in a way devoid of
sentiments, so that the people can clearly understand the reason why I
am taking this decision that leads me to the PDP today, and I will
certainly do that. But permit me to say that in the APC that we are
leaving, they are not all devils, there are wonderful people in APC
but they are equally some people who have what I will call a
rebelliously wayward sense of entitlement and these really are the
problems with the APC.

"When it serves their interests, they say the party is supreme, when
it doesn't serve their interest, they castigate the party, including
the leadership of the party. These are people who are the lords of the
family; they do what they will while others are required to do what
they must and in such environment, really, I am disabled. We have a
lot of bouncers in the party, these are the bouncers. For me, I knew
that I was in a situation where I had a very seared conscience. Even
when a lot of people were happy with me, but I can tell you that I
would rather be hated for who I am than be loved for who I am not.

"So, I have decided to come back to my original roots because the
truth is that we went back to the APC, after the general elections,
there was never an occasion in which we were not reminded that we do
not belong. When there are discussions, you will hear reference to the
fact that those who joined us from the PDP are our problems. So, that
discussion will end as from today."

On why he joined PDP, Dogara added, "So I have decided to join the
brothers and sisters of this great party, the PDP, so that we can
chart a new frontier in our state, Bauchi, and chart a new frontier
for our dear nation, Nigeria. This, we will do, with courage, with
commitment, with the passion to build a Nigeria that works for all of
us, all of us.

"That is the challenge that is before us. So, I am here, not because
as others have said, they have denied me the ticket to contest in APC.
That is what they will say, but it is not true and I am really not
bothered at this moment about contesting elections. What bothers me is
the state of my state, the situation in which our people are and the
state of this country and so, even if you give me a ticket to work in
a situation where my conscience is not totally in alignment with, to
be candid, I cannot function effectively.

"So, I am here with the nomination form, which is for those who said
they will retire me from politics, to show that boldly that this is
where I am. Those who said they will retire me from politics, I am
waiting for them at the constituency and in case they do not know, it
is Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa."