CONSENSUS AND RECONCILIATION IS WHAT WE NEED NOW -DOGARA
The speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has stated that he believes in consensus and reconciliation among politicians. He stated this weekend at the reception held in his honour at his village Gwaranga, Bogoro local government area to celebrate his 50th birthday. The speaker was reacting to a remark made by Aminu Tukur, the member representing Lere/Bula constituency in the Bauchi State House of Assembly on the subtle reconciliatory moves by governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar. Tukur who is a close political ally of the speaker is one of the most fierce critics of governor Abubakar. He said that nobody will deceive or coax them into reconciliation in a way that other people involved will be sidelined. He told the speaker that there will not be reconciliation unless everybody is involved adding that it will only be possible unless they all agree. “Nobody should put you alone in a room for reconciliation. We cannot put somebody in a position and the person feels that he is bigger or more important than we are,”he said. However, the speaker noted that nobody is deceiving anybody and that as brothers and sisters they will sit down and discuss for the progress of the state. Dogara added that he believes in consensus and reconciliation to settle differences. It could be recalled that, the Bauchi state governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, the speaker, Yakubu Dogara and some other members of the national assembly from the state had been at loggerheads for over two years over some issues. The political feud had defied all attempts for reconciliation despite interventions by the APC national headquarters including the setting up of the reconciliation committee headed by the minister of Labour and employment, Senator Chris Ngige. But in a recent subtle move for reconciliation, governor Abubakar attended the 50th birthday bash of the speaker to celebrate with him. The governor also sent his deputy with a powerful delegation to the reception organised for the Speaker in his village which indicated that there is genuine attempt by the governor for reconciliation. The Bauchi State APC also sent a delegation to the reception led by Barrister Lawan Mohammed, a move which many people never expected as the party leadership led by its state chairman, Uba Ahmed Nana is said to be solidly behind governor Abubakar in the lingering political feud