Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State has
denied having a hand in the protest by a civil society
organisation, Conscience Nigeria, calling for the
investigation of the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, over the budget
padding scandal.
Conscience Nigeria and Center for Public Accountability
had threatened to submit a petition to the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over budget
padding allegations against principal officers of the
House of Representatives.
Executive Director of Conscience Nigeria, Comrade Tosin
Adeyanju, in a statement urged Nigerians to join them as
they set to embark on a road walk to the EFCC office in
Lagos to submit a petition on the need for Speaker
Dogara, Hon Jibrin and House of Reps leadership to be
investigated and prosecuted.
It added: “The program is slated for 10am on Monday
29th August, enjoins intrested Convergence Point will be
St. Gregory College Junction by Awolowo way, Ikoyi from
where there will be a March to the EFCC Office at 15,
Awolowo way Ikoyi before Falomo Round About.
“We call on all well meaning Nigerians in Lagos and tax
payers to join in this walk against corruption in the
House of Representatives and give their full support to
this call for Accountability in our body polity. The Civil
Society organisation also invites media houses to come
and cover this historic walk.”
But in a press briefing yesterday, a group under the
auspices of Civil Society Desk, CSD, alleged that
Governor Abubakar sponsored the anti-Dogara protests
with N30 million.
Recall that Governor Abubakar had after a meeting with
President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential villa
Abuja, stated that Dogara, was fighting him because he
refused to support his emergence as Speaker, explaining
that he had directed lawmakers from the state to
support the candidate of the All Progressives Congress,
APC, in June last year.
The Bauchi governor claimed that rather than put aside
the issues of the election and join hands with him to
move the state forward, the Speaker of the House of
Reps started antagonising him.
Specifically, the governor was alleged to have bribed a
civil liberty organisation, Conscience Nigeria with the
sum N30 million to further organise demonstrations
against the leadership of the House.
National Secretary of CSD, Comrade Ijewa Obioma
alleged that another sponsored protest is scheduled to
hold on Tuesday when the National Assembly resumes
from its annual recess.
“We are completely opposed to this antic of bad blood,
viciousness and persistence to overheat the Nigeria
polity when all patriotic endeavours are being geared
towards efforts and initiatives to revamp the economy.”
“It has become very clear that the governor is behind
those protests against the Speaker. Our findings have
linked the governor to the activities of such civil society
organisations whose link man is one Tosin Kakaki
Adeyanju, who is the organiser of Conscience Nigeria,
has been spotted in various pictures with the governor,”
he said.
But reacting to the allegations of the CSD, the Bauchi
Governor’s Senior Special Adviser, Muhammad Sabo,
stated that the governor was not interested in the
political crisis rocking the House.
Sabo stated that the Government needs more money to
execute developmental projects and could not have
spent such a huge amount on frivolity.
“How can a responsible governor spend such money on
frivolity, when he is looking for resources to continue
development projects?”
“The governor is not interested in the political problem
of Speaker Dogara, he is not interested in the brouhaha,
the Speaker should face his colleagues and sort out his
problem,” he said.
