Dogara back in APC, says Governor Buni
By Millicent Umoru-O
The immediate past speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, is back in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The acting Chairman of the APC and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni. disclosed this on Friday after he accompanied Dogara to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari at the villa.
Governor Buni disclosed that the President has welcomed Mr Dogara into the fold as well as other former aggrieved members of the party.
He said the reason why Dogara left the APC do not exist anymore and this visit to President Buhari is in continuation of efforts to rebuild the party.
Part of the Yobe governor’s brief is to rebuild the party ahead of its national convention where a new executive committee will be elected.
He told reporters on Friday that the process of regaining all aggrieved members of the party who left had commenced. Adding that the party was already reaching out to others with a view to bringing them back.
“We are meeting all our aggrieved members, particularly those who have interest in coming back to the party,” he said.
He added: “They should feel free to do so. We are assuring them and there is no crime in double assurance.
“We will do justice to all our members. That is what will bring peace and that is what will guarantee peaceful co-existence. That is what will bring the consolidation of the party; the rebuilding of the party.
“Without doing justice, you cannot achieve that, and we are sure of doing justice to all our members.”
He said the ongoing assignment of his committee was not just about 2023 but to ensure that the party survived the crisis that threatened its continued existence.
His words: “It is not only about a specific time or period. It is not about election; it is not about electioneering. It is about building a party.
“We paid the courtesy call on the President in continuation of our effort to rebuild the party. We are here to see Mr. President and brief him on the developments.”
On how President Buhari received the news, he said: “He welcomed him. He is happy with the development. That is what he is looking for. We are rebuilding the party and these are the steps we are taking towards rebuilding the party.”
Former Speaker Yakubu Dogara said he would address the press on a later date
Dogara was one of the APC’s influential members who dumped the party in July 2018, although he officially announced his own defection on January 29, 2019, citing “undemocratic practices” in the party.
