Muslim-Muslim: Dogara, Lawal, Others Are Impostors, Says APC
•Insists they’re no longer ruling party’s members
•Declares former speaker has lost his mind
Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
The Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), has described a group led by a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal and other ‘so-called’ Christian leaders as impostors.
Dogara and Lawal had repeatedly expressed their disapproval of the decision by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to field Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu picked a former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, as his running mate, and both Muslims.
However, Dogara, Lawal and other Christian leaders within the ruling party had since held series of meetings and also declared total war on the APC and its candidates.
At the weekend, in Abuja, the group took the decision to work against their party, while also proposing to adopt a consensus presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, believed to be the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
But reacting to the resolutions of the group in a statement issued yesterday, the Director, Media & Publicity, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said, Dogara became so bitter after he lost the opportunity to be on the presidential ticket of the ruling party, and that it was based on this that he had been spewing hate speeches and whipping up sentiments.
Onanuga noted that careful reading of the people, who attended the “unholy meeting” he called showed that they were all PDP members, masquerading as APC members.
“Former Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara has apparently lost his mind since he could not realise his self-imposed ambition to be on the presidential ticket of All Progressives Congress.
“On account of this, he has certainly become a reprobate and demagogue, delivering hate speeches and whipping up emotions, with the aim of setting our country ablaze,” he said.
Onanuga pointed out that the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council was therefore not surprised by media reports about a meeting of some so-called Northern Christian leaders, who claimed to be members of APC that was championed by Dogara and his ilk.
Describing their claims as totally fraudulent, Onanuga added: “Yakubu Dogara, the peripatetic and politically unstable politician, who organised the meeting left our party officially and unceremoniously weeks ago. And those who attended the meeting were representing themselves, their selfish agenda, not Northern Christians.
“Before then, the former speaker had spearheaded a campaign of vitriol and hate against our party, using religion as camouflage, after he lost the vice-presidential candidacy to a better qualified Senator Kashim Shettima.
“Among the politicians at the unholy consultative meeting were Mukhar Shagari, Boni Haruna, Abdulfattah Ahmed; Damishi Sango; Senator Idris Ahmed Umar; and two former deputy governors of Kogi State, Yomi Awoniyi and Simon Achuba. They are all PDP members working for the presidential ambition of Atiku Abubakar.”
Onanuga stressed that the PCC was not surprised by the resolutions adopted, but was only surprised that the media failed to read through their smokescreen.
