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Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has jumped to President Bola Tinubu's defence following Bauchi Governor, Bala Mohammed's criticisms of the Federal Government on the nationwide hunger and hardship protest.
While inaugurating the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council for local government elections in his state last Wednesday, Mohammed slammed Tinubu for implementing policies that have hash consequences on the people.
The Governor stressed that the leadership of the country, “from the presidency to sub-national and the local government,” must accept responsibility for the current state of affairs.
However, he singled out Tinubu's decisions to remove subsidies on petrol and floating of the naira as the major cause of the prevalent hunger and hardship.
“The new policies brought by the federal government are not working. We can see the manifestation of it in different colouration. From the North to the South,” Mohammed said.
Dogara blasts Mohammed for anti-Tinubu comments
Reacting in a statement issued on Saturday, August 10, 2024, and titled ‘In Governor Bala Mohammed’s latest tirade and truculent buffoonery,' Dogara blasted the Bauchi Governor.
The former Speaker accused Mohammed of suddenly turning against Tinubu after the President saved him from election petitions.
He claimed that after allegedly rigging his way into office in 2023, the Governor sought Tinubu’s help to avoid legal trouble while singing the President’s praises at the time.
“To buttress the point being made, when Governor Bala Mohammed was in court after rigging himself into office and desperately needed PBAT (President Bola Ahmed Tinubu) to save him, he was busy singing his praises to the highest heavens and telling the world how amazing PBAT was, not even minding the fact that he is the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum.
“Just months after PBAT saved him, he has turned around to describe the President as ‘now inept, incompetent, and incapable of running Nigeria," the former lawmaker said.
Dogara describes Mohammed's outburst as irresponsible
Dogara, who is also a native of Bauchi, admitted that Nigeria was going through a trying period with lots of nerves in the air and lots of politicking.
However, he said it behoves leaders, irrespective of the political tribe they belong “to ensure that we bring this crisis to a responsible end by appealing to governments at all levels to scramble to meet some of the legitimate demands of the protesters, most especially hunger and pervasive insecurity in the national interest.
“It is certainly not a time to engage in blowing all the dog whistles at once in the irresponsible manner Governor Bala Mohammed did,” he stated.
Dogara added: "I am penning these lines to further disavow him and to tell those who don’t know that, although Governor Bala Mohammed is one of us, he is not all of us.”