Dogara’s aide resigns, denies working against speaker

Zakariah Yasan Sinimbut, a senior legislative aide to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has resigned.

He announced his decision to resign in a chat with journalists in Bauchi yesterday.

Sinimbut, who also served as the spokesperson of the Dogara campaign organisation, alleged that he was accused by other aides of the speaker of working against the interest of his principal and siding with his opponents, an allegation he denied.

He said the problem started when he invited a former member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly representing Bogoro Constituency, Rifkatu Samson Bebi, to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) after leaving the PDP.

According to him, that singular act was interpreted by some people close to the speaker as undermining his political machinery in his constituency which comprised of Bogoro, Tafawa Balewa and Dass.

“I have been working with the speaker with all honesty and I have never worked against any of his interests. It is a known fact that the APC does not have a house member in Bogoro because we did not win the election there.

“When Honourable Rifkatu Samson Bebi left the PDP, as a member of the APC, I invited her to join the APC and contribute as she has done in the PDP. That was what caused the problem for me,” he said.

The speaker’s aide also said that he was accused of working in cahoots with the state government and the state APC leadership which had been at loggerheads with the speaker for some time.

Sinimbut said he was invited to the office of Dogara’s adviser on constituency matters, where he was told that the speaker had allegedly ordered for the termination of his appointment for allegedly promoting the former lawmaker.