50 INSIDEPOLITICS Aspirants set to battle National Assembly leaders
Yakubu Dogara, has been representing Bogoro, Dass and Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency of Bauchi State since 2007. He was first elected on the platform of PDP. Dogara defeated Seth Karfe who hails from Tafawa Balewa to get the ticket in 2007.
Before then, Dauda Garba Bundot from Dass Local Government represented the constituency from 1999 to 2003. Dogara later defected to the APC.
The speaker had on different occasions fought for the seat with strong political opponents.
But since his election in 2007, Dogara’s political profile rose astronomically both at the House of Representatives where he held some key positions and at home where he is always in touch with the people of his constituency and beyond.
Dogara was said to have been brought to political limelight by a former Bauchi State Governor, Adamu Mu’azu through Professor Suleman Elias Bogoro, the former Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), who hails from the same village with the speaker and is a relation.
The speaker enjoys the support in Bauchi political cycles, making him one of the most sought after politicians in the state.
His emergence as speaker of the House of Representatives in 2015 further strengthened his political clout, transforming him from a Bauchi State politician to a national political figure of sort.
It is widely believed that the speaker had never faced any strong opposition as the number one choice for his constituency.
That notwithstanding, there are some people from the speaker’s constituency that are believed to be interested in his seat.
Some of these people, according to sources include Dr Gashon Damina, a senior lecturer at the faculty of Law, University of Jos, who many believed is going to contest on the platform of PDP.
Others include a lecturer with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Bauchi Centre, Emmanuel John Kaka and Godfrey Manasseh Marti among others. Marti is believed to be angling for the ticket in APC.
Mr Gideon Bawa, a retired Head of Administration in Dass Local Government Area is also believed to be interested and will contest under the New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP).
A lawyer, Kefas Yakubu and a former Bauchi State House of Assembly member who represented Lere/Bula Constituency in the 1990s, is also believed to be staging a comeback to challenge Dogara in 2019.
But many are of the opinion that, no aspirant at present could match the political strength of the speaker to pose a threat to him. Dogara appears to be in a comfort zone in the House of Representatives as he never showed interest in vying for the Bauchi State governorship ticket. He is, however, seen as a strong factor in deciding who emerges as governor in 2019 because of his influence both in the state and at national level.
However, the speaker had a running battle with Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar after the 2015 general elections over some political issues. The feud had lingered on for long that it pitched most of the federal lawmakers from the state against the governor.
But the political atmosphere in the state may not be a guarantee that elected officials would not be challenged at the polls in 2019 because there are many political parties with formidable aspirants.
Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila representing Surulere 1 Federal Constituency in Lagos appears to be having it so smooth in his party ahead of the 2019 election even though he is yet to declare for re- election. But feelers from his associates indicate that he is strongly considering throwing his hat into the ring for the fourth time as a representative.
Findings by Daily Trust at the constituency show that none of his fellow APC stalwarts has come up openly to indicate interest in the seat with strong suspicion that he might emerge unopposed again.
It would be recalled that the majority leader secured the APC ticket in a primary conducted in December 2014 scoring 247 of the 252 total votes cast.
An APC member in the constituency who confided on our correspondent, said, “As I am talking to you, no member of the party has come out to say he wanted to unseat Gbajabiamila. He is our man and he has been representing his constituency very well since he was first elected.”
But Daily Trust gathered that the only potent opposition to his re-election is the PDP which candidate then is said to be warming up for another contest with the lawmaker.
It would be recalled that Mr Tony Ashi Kodi of the PDP came second in the 2015 election with 14, 550 votes while Gbajabiamila won with 21, 715 votes.
Kodi, who is still a strong PDP member, has not given up on his aspiration and he is said to be consulting at the moment ahead of the 2019 polls.
Despite the massive defection of PDP members to APC, a party source confirmed to our correspondent that Kodi, an Igbo man, remains a strong member of the party.