From Ahmad SAKA, Bauchi
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has challenged the Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong, to a debate on his seven years rule in the state.
Dogara threw the challenge in a statement issued on Wednesday by his media aide, Turaki Hassan.
The former speaker was reacting to a criticism by one of Lalong’s loyalists, Yakubu Dati, over his opposition to the All Progressives Congress (APC) Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Lalong and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, have been unrelenting in their criticism of the ruling party over the adoption of same faith ticket for the 2023 presidential election.
The statement read: “In any case, as the campaigns get underway, we challenge Governor Lalong to organise a public issues-based debate at a place of his choosing anywhere on the Plateau for us to thoroughly canvass our positions on national politics, most especially on the stale meat he begged to hawk for his ilks to buy. We earnestly await the date, venue and time of this public debate on the Plateau.
“How dare you compare terms that turned Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa Federal Constituency into a massive construction site to Governor Lalong’s two terms of pangs, pains, devastation, anguish and death on the Plateau.
“Where on the Plateau has Governor Lalong constructed an 82 kilometer road? We counsel him to check out Bauchi – Tafawa Balewa Road only before talking about an injustice done because a legislator was returned for a 4th term.
“After all, his constituents are not daft to have elected Rt. Hon. Dogara for four consecutive tenures when no House of Representatives member from the constituency had ever won a re-election”.
“To put it mildly, Rt. Hon. Dogara has always won his elections despite fierce opposition from more entrenched self-conceited megalomaniacs than Governor Lalong.
“He has willingly given up the seat and while doing so, insisted that it moves to another local government area. He has refused to back any Christian aspirant to run for the ticket in his party in the spirit of justice, fairness and inclusiveness which he has always and still preaches. We challenge Governor Lalong to provide evidence that this is not the case.
“Finally, we hope reason and common sense, though not common, will prevail over this brand of shameless brinkmanship now being promoted by a lapdog and his lapdogs in the name of APC campaigns.”
