APC Chieftain: ‘Speaker Dogara Is Simply Arrogant’

Okoi Obono-Obla, a legal practitioner who served as member of the Security and Legal Directorate of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, said Dogara had become too arrogant and was taking the party for granted in choice of candidates to fill the remaining leadership seats in the House.

The National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had written to Dogara to explain the party’s position and choice of those to fit into the principal offices still vacant at the House as a way to end the crisis of leadership that had marred activities in the House since its inauguration in June.

In reply, Dogara maintained that his hands were tied as a case is already instituted against him in court over the leadership tussle in the House.

But Obono-Obla, the secretary of the Joint Inter-party Merger Committee that negotiated the formation of APC, spoke during a television programme, saying Dogara’s explanation that he has a pending case in court, was just a gimmick to play on the seriousness of the issue.

“The court has no jurisdiction to interfere with the internal workings of the National Assembly. The issue of federal character is a bogie. Nigerians are so sentimental that everybody wants his part to be represented in leadership,” Obono-Obla said

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The lawyer said the party has a right to make input on how the leadership of the National Assembly should be selected and that this does not amount to the House interfering in the internal workings of the National Assembly.

He also added that this was not peculiar to Nigeria.

“It is an act of indiscipline for Dogara and his group to continue to disobey the party since it was the platform through which they got the tickets that brought them to the National Assembly.

“The Supreme Court made a pronouncement just about two months ago on this issue of disagreeing with your party.

“The Supreme Court says if you disagree with your party, you should resign and seize to be a member of the House. You cannot remain a member of the party and promote division.

“If they are not comfortable with the APC, let them leave the APC and retire from the House. We will go to the by-election and elect members who would be obedient.

“If they (Dogara and his group) are gentlemen, why can’t they obey the party? Why can’t they respect the President who is the leader of the party? Why can’t they respect the National Chairman? Why can’t they respect the NEC of the party? Why can’t they respect the Board of Trustees?

“Tomorrow, they would want to use that same platform of the party to get re-elected into the House. If they destroy the party, would they have a party under which to seek re-election?”

He speculated that the outcome of the committee set up to look into the leadership issue in the National Assembly would not be at variance with the position of the party since those in the committee are serious party men who would not subscribe to insubordination against the party.

“The way out is for the Speaker to obey the dictates of the party because the party is supreme.

“Why must the Speaker insist on a position? That is arrogance. To dictate to a party that gave you the paltform to win election smacks of arrogance.

“If you consistently disagree with the party, then the image you are portraying is that of a renegade.

“The party has also made a concession and is not saying all the remaining leadership positions should go to the Southwest. That is an erroneous impression which they (the Dogara group) have given to deceive Nigerians,” he added.

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Obono-Obla also warned that it would be an act of indiscipline on the part of the APC to bow to the dictates of party men who have shown that they do not have respect for the party hierarchy.

On what the APC could do if the lawmakers refuse to obey the party, he said the party could resort to “politics” but added: “when we get to the bridge, we will cross it. We will lobby and have the majority.”

Meanwhile, two aggrieved lawmakers of the APC have asked a federal high court to restrain Yakubu Dogara from refusing to accept nominees sent by the party leadership

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