Nigerian Lawmakers Vow To Defend Speaker Yakubu Dogara Against Impeachment

Some members of the House of Representatives under the aegis of Parliamentary Democrats Group (PDG) have vowed to defend Speaker Yakubu Dogara against any move to oust him from office.

Spokesman of the group, Timothy Golu (PDP, Plateau), who dropped the hint on Sunday via a statement in Abuja, alleged that there were imminent threats to undermine the Speaker’s position and the sanctity of the legislative arm of government.

Golu said PDG members were prepared to defend the “rights and mandate” of the Speaker, and to resist any impeachment threat from all fronts, irrespective of party affiliations.

“Our attention has been drawn to media reports suggesting that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is plotting to remove the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, after he accepted PDP nomination forms from his constituents to seek re-election in 2019.

“Although we believe that this is an exercise in futility, we however, want to state categorically that any attempt to instigate crisis or undermine the authority, right or position of the Speaker on account of his political decision, which is legal and constitutional, will be resisted by the members,” the statement warned.

He added that members of the PDG had already mobilized themselves to monitor the situations at the green chamber to ensure that no act of impunity was allowed to prevail, with regard to the Speaker’s position.

He further claimed that apart from Dogara, other principal officers of the House of Representatives had signified interests to join the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when the National Assembly reconvenes from its annual recess.

“So, we can effectively say that on resumption, Dogara will be presiding over a House with PDP in majority,” the PDP lawmaker claimed.

This is coming few days after Dogara reportedly accepted PDP nomination forms from members of his Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, to seek re-election into the House of Representatives in 2019.

With that move, the Speaker had left no one in doubt of his political allegiance, which had until then, been mired in speculations and indecision.

Although the leadership of the ruling APC, on whose platform Dogara was elected in 2015 and subsequently emerged Speaker, had described him as a “paper weight politician with no political value,” they also asked him to resign.

Meanwhile, Dogara’s acceptance of PDP nomination forms means that both chambers of the National Assembly are now under the effective control of the opposition PDP even with APC’s undisputed numerical superiority, a situation likely to pit lawmakers from the two parties when the National Assembly reconvenes in October.