Opinion
By JONATHAN IPAA
HON. Yakubu Dogara, is lawyer who profidence had assisted into power, rised to the position of number 4, the Speaker of the Nigeria House of Representatives from a Christian minority of Bauchi state.
A deep silence that greeted his unwitting decision to go against his Christian constituents, even against the thinking of the majority of the people of Tafawa Barewa, Bogoro and Dass federal constituency of Bauchi state attest to this uncircumspection.
As it’s stands, Dogara is on his own!
While his co traveler at Northern APC Christians forum, Babachir Lawal who backs out, last week settles on equity, fairness and justice in which Peter Obi of the Labour Party represented to the admiration of his constituents, Dogara settles for a Fulani Muslim back to back, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.
Dogara, Speaker of the 8th House of Representatives shouted down the heavens when Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress, APC settled on Sen Kashim Shettima, former Borno State governor as his vice presidential candidate.
Then Dogara had labeled the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket as anti Christians in which he alongside Babachir Lawal, leading other Christian groups in the North to kicked against it.
“The adoption Muslim-Muslim ticket by the APC for the 2023 presidential election is a fruitless political effort that has been doomed to end in spectacular failure”, Dogara said.
As a lawyer and a senior legislator who rose from the crass to the peak of the lower legislative career, Dogara is expected to provide a strong opposition against the Muslim-Muslim ticket as it flouted the federal character principle of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, or according to him: “Same faith ticket does not align with the vision of a united Nigeria because it does not promote a collective sense of belongingness”
Most critics believe that the PDP presidential Fulani ticket and Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket represent threat to the Nigerian unity as they are inimical to the essence of the federal character principle anchor on a united and prosperous Nigeria by accommodating the various ethnic, religious and geographical diversity of federation.
While Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket flagrantly threw to the dustbins, the Federal Character principle, Atiku attempts to plays into the senses of Nigerians with his unifier kite.
With his last week’s unwittingly thumb towards Atiku, Dogara’s ‘defender of the Christian faith’, just collapsed on it’s face.
Recall that Dogara, one of those who walked against ex-President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014 can not in good faith justify the succession of Northern Fulani Muslim to another Northern Fulani Muslim and convince his constituents that his criteria was muted out of selfish political interest.
Dogara must be made to answer questions on where is the justice, fairness and equity in the succession of a Muslim Fulani to another Muslim Fulani – That is Atiku succeeding Buhari?
Even at the Nicon Luxury hotel, Abuja venue of the Northern Christians submit last October, the Plateau state delegation of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Youths wing, Pastor Nehemiah Michael Mawan had walked out on Dogara on a possible treacherous tendency. Pastor Nehemiah Michael drove back to Jos to protest what he discribes as “Dogara’s plans to use the submit to negotiate for a 2023 bargain even if it were going to be against the Christian interest”.
“Where is the justice and equity the Dogara claims he was fighting for? He would have looked the way of the Integrity Governors and perhaps joined forces with them.
Indeed, this is one fight Dogara may have done well to stay clear of. Taking christians’ liberties, Dogara was all along praying to be picked as Tinubu’s Vice Presidential candidate, as is now being alleged.
If he were not trapped by his egotistical aspiration, he would have borrowed a leaf from the G-5 governors who are challenging the flaws of their party.
Dogara is playing a lonely card, an imminent danger to the Nigerian political enterprise Northern Christians should be awared.
What justification is Dogara presenting to his followers whom the kicked the Tinubu’s Muslim-Christian ticket and turn back to back a Muslim Fulanization ticket?
Babachir Lawal whose endorsement of Peter Obi of the Labour Party was earlier criticised by Dogara has fared even much better in this fight for the political rights of Northern Christians.
Lawal, former Secretary to the Government if the Federation, SGF came unburdened to the fight. His objectives are much clearer, the unwritten principle of power rotation between North and South.
Unwittingly, Dogara’s assessment of the leading presidential candidates and their chances in the 2023 presidential election begged for circumspect because both Atiku’s PDP and Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket present a dilemma of between the devil and the deep, blue sea to Nigerians, while Obidatti’s Labour Party offers the real alternative, a position Lawal ably amplified and enjoy Northern Christians, the leadership of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, the Nigerian youths whose desire is to take their political destiny from the present crass of greedy leaders.
***Jonathan IPAA, who is the President of the Middle Belt Journalists Forum, is an Abuja base Communication Strategist.
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Tags: Alhaji Atiku Abubakar APC Babachir Lawal ex-president Goodluck Jonathan Hon. Yakubu Dogara Pastor Nehemiah Michael PDP Sen Kashim Shettima
