Northern Youths Disown Dogara Over ‘Selfish VP Bid’
A coalition of North East youth goup leaders said former House of Representatives Speaker. Yakubu Dogara, is no longer worthy of representing them over allegation selfish political interest.
The coalition’s chairman, Comrade Mohammed Adamu, in a statement on Tuesday, claimed Dogara is selfishly positioning himself for the presidency.
This came after Dogara advocated that decisions regarding power-sharing and religious balance in the country should be guided by justice rather than fear or political pressure.
The former speaker spoke during a Channels TV ‘Sunday Politics’ programme amid speculation that Vice President Kashim Shettima might be dropped as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 general election.
Reacting, Adamu said, “Dogara’s remarks are not expressions of insight, they are a calculated performance designed to curry favour with the current administration and to position himself as a candidate for the vice-presidential slot on the APC ticket in 2027.”
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According to the group, Dogara does not speak for them.
“His words are an abject display of opportunism, divorced from the agony of ordinary citizens.
“Even more egregious is his attempt to reduce leadership to a crude exercise in religious symbolism, implying that the mere presence of a Christian or a Muslim on a political ticket automatically represents an entire faith community,” the coalition said.
It added, “When the people do not feel progress, the failure is not in perception, it is in performance.
“The youths of the Northeast are done with condescension, done with comfortable politicians who intellectualise suffering instead of ending it. We are tired of being told to endure while prices soar, opportunities vanish, and hope is rationed. Patience is not policy and endurance is not governance.”
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During his appearance on Channels TV, Dogara was asked about speculations that he was being considered as a running mate for Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Responding, he said: “I would have sincerely pleaded with you to leave me out of this, but let me say something.
“Whatever we are doing shouldn’t be because we are afraid of anybody breathing down our necks; it should be because it is the right thing to do.
“We are talking about running an inclusive government, bringing everybody in this country together, so that we can build a nation that works for all of us.
“So, if we are talking about rotational presidency, nothing is stopping us from having that discussion as well, because you are not just talking about northern Christians but about the Christian faith as a whole.
“If you have a Muslim, whether he comes from the north or the south, let it be that he is representing the Muslim community.,
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“And if you have a Christian, wherever he comes from, he represents the Christian faith. That way, you achieve religious balance.
“But honestly, if we’re going to do anything along those lines, it shouldn’t be that we are scared, but because we believe that God requires of us to do justice.,
“And justice demands that we should balance things. I think that should be our concern.”
On if the APC is considering fielding a Christian running mate in 2027, Dogara said the matter is the table.
“It’s a discussion, and I am aware that such discussions are already taking place,” he stated.
