Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Tafawa Balewa Local Government have alleged that the former House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara has hijacked nominations forms for the party’s forthcoming congresses to distribute only to his loyalists.
Speaking on behalf of the APC family in Dass, Tafawa Balewa, Bogoro constituents, Alhaji Bala Burga said at the end of the meeting at Vanilla Garden in Bauchi on Thursday that Dogara denied those who are not in his camp the opportunity to seek for elective offices in the party.
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But Dogara has denied the allegations through his political associate Muhammad Aminu Tukur.
Burga said: “Initially the forms supposed to be given to the APC chairman of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area but instead the state leadership of the party gave the forms to Dogara’s close ally Hon Muhammad Aminu Tukur who gave it to Dogara’s supporters only.
“He denied members that are not in Dogara’s camp the opportunity to get the form in the interest of justice,fairness and democratic principles.”
Burga said they are lawabiding members of the party, and have filed their complain before the appeal committee of APC. They appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Mai Mala Buni-led caretaker committee to intervene in the issue.
He said it is good for all APC to learn their lesson from what happened in Zamfara State where the Supreme Court sacked all elected members of the party and gave victory to PDP for failure of APC to conduct party primaries according to party constitution.
Burga said in the interest of justice diverse interest groups in the party must be consulted and a resolution must be reached according to the guidelines given by the national leadership of the party.
He said as stakeholders the want to contest political offices in the party and without fairness in choosing party leaders through congresses will not augor well for the party.
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When contacted, a close ally to Yakubu Dogara, Muhammad Aminu Tukur said, “The APC in the state agreed to hold congresses through consensus and credible stakeholders of APC in Dass, Tafawa Balewa, and Bogoro federal constituency paid for their nominations forms through the leader of the party and high ranking principal officer Yakubu Dogara.
“Dogara sent the money to purchase the forms through me; I bought the forms on behalf of the credible stakeholders in Dass, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro constituency as directed by Dogara and I distributed the forms to recognized elected party chairmen in the areas.”
Tukur said they are fair and just in all what they are doing and they carried all genuine stakeholders in Tafawa Balewa Local Government along. “If we are not fair why are the complain and allegations coming from one area?” he queried
