Dogara's attacks on Gov Bala desperate bid for Tinubu’s favour — Aide

The office of Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, has dismissed a recent attack by former House Speaker Yakubu Dogara as a desperate attempt to curry favour with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Guardian reports that Dogara had earlier, in a statement signed on Saturday, criticised the governor’s achievements, saying that the administration of Mohammed has “no functional social amenities.” According to Dogara, Bauchi State under Governor Mohammed is regarded as one of the states with the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

In the statement titled, “On Governor Bala Mohammed’s Latest Tirade and Truculent Buffoonery,” Dogara faulted the Governor’s speech when he launched the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign for the local government election coming next week, stressing that Mohammed’s criticism, where he said the economic policies of the President caused more pain, should be reviewed.

“It is certainly not a time to engage in blowing all the dog whistles at once in the irresponsible manner Gov. Bala Mohammed did.

“I am penning these lines to further disavow him and to tell those who don’t know that, although Gov. Bala Mohammed is one of us, he is not all of us. Bauchi State is home to tested leaders who were not raised like mushrooms and who will not dare speak or operate in a manner that reveals contempt for rules, precedent, order, stability, and national cohesion,” Dogara said.

Reacting, in a press statement issued on Sunday, the governor’s special adviser on media and publicity, Mukhtar Gidado, described Dogara as an “opportunistic political turncoat” who is seeking redemption after betraying Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election.

“All along, Dogara had been looking for an opportunity to retrace his steps after abandoning Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the candidate of his party in the 2023 presidential elections, for another candidate on the pretext that he was averse to a joint Muslim ticket,” Gidado said.

The statement accused Dogara of hypocrisy and inconsistency, alleging that the former speaker had previously praised Governor Mohammed but now seeks to discredit him.

It further dismissed Dogara’s claims of the governor’s non-performance, citing awards received from former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Tinubu as evidence of the administration’s achievements.

Gidado described Governor Mohammed as a man with an enviable track record whose good deeds earned him two awards and for which a former president had recommended him to other leaders as a role model.

“Whether it is in social services or infrastructure or people empowerment, the Bala Mohammed Administration has acquitted itself creditably, delivering milestone after milestone democracy dividends, to the admiration of the Bauchi electorate. Granted that the out-of-school children crisis is more pronounced in the north, under Bala Mohammed, the problem has been reduced from the 1.3 million at the inception of his administration to about 700, 000 presently,” Gidado said.

The press release listed various developmental projects undertaken by the Bauchi State government in Dogara’s constituency, including road construction, healthcare improvements, and education initiatives. It accused Dogara of abandoning his constituents while pursuing personal interests.

It said, “Among the several initiatives of the Bala Mohammed Administration in Dogara’s Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro/Dass Constituency are: Design and construction of the 2.6 km Bununu Township Road awarded in 2020 (completed); design and construction of the 11.5 km Bogoro-Lusa-Malar Road awarded in 2020 (completed); design and construction of the Boi-Tapshin Road awarded in 2020 (completed); design and construction of the 2 span Bridge/2km Zakkam Bridge and Road to Zakkam Community awarded in 2022 (completed); design and construction of the 29km Boi-Sara-Marti-Lere Road/Spur Road to Dutsen Lawal awarded in 2024 (ongoing); design and construction of the 1.6km Spur road to Dunga Community awarded in 2022 (completed); the 12.5 km abandoned Dass-Wandi-Bassam-Lamdi-Durr Road rewarded in 2024 (ongoing); the 3.2 km Dass Township Road awarded in 2024 (ongoing); design and construction of the 6Km Dott-Bajar Road awarded in 2024 (ongoing)”

In health, the statement listed several renovations and purchase of medical equipment for primary healthcare centres (PHCC) and General Hospitals in Bogoro, Dass and Tafawa Balewa local government areas.