Bauchi APC: Will Dogara, Abubakar accept Ngige’s c’ttee deal?
Will Governor Mohammed Abubakar and Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the Federal House of Representatives, who are the arrowheads of the two warring camps in Bauchi State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accept the way out suggested by Senator Chris Ngige-led Bauchi Fact-finding and Reconciliation Committee?
The Ngige committee did not submit its report on August 15, 2017 without suggesting solutions to the crisis rocking the party.
The Chairman of the committee and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Ngige, who submitted the report in company of other members, including General Lawrence Onoja (rtd); Senator Oserheimen Osunbor; General Lawal Jafar Isa (rtd); Alhaji Gambo Magaji and Alhaji Yahaya Alfa (the committee’s secretary), said the committee recommended that the party national leadership should remember members who are grumbling over appointments at state and federal level.
Senator Ngige, who gave an insight into the way and manner the committee carried the assignment, also said the committee which recommended a two step-approach believed that the issue in Bauchi APC could be resolved if they recognised the two warring parties led by Speaker Dogara, and Governor Abubakar.
Ngige said the committee believed that a real and significant step towards total reconciliation for their supporters was the need for Dogara and governor Abubakar to sit together and resolve their differences.
He said the committee, which suggested that a member of the committee met all party members to restore confidence, also recommended that there should be a rally at the state’s township stadium which should be attended by Governor Abubakar, Speaker Dogara and other well-meaning party members.
Pundits say the recommendations seem simple when considered at their face value. But the political interests of the warring camps may serve as a stumbling block as the 2019 general elections draw nearer. At present, the governor controls the state party executives and his commissioners, while Dogara leads the aggrieved senators and members of the federal house, who are also willing to get their tickets in 2019. Last year, Dogara led a team from Bauchi State APC, comprising the minister of education, Adamu Adamu and some federal lawmakers, including Senator Ali Wakili and Senator Suleiman Nazif to protest against the policies of Governor Abubakar before the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in Abuja. Senator Wakil (APC, Bauchi Central) hinted during the visit that the meeting with the party leaders bordered on non-payment of salaries and nonutilization of bailout funds. Causes of the crisis The chairman of the factfinding committee said his team learnt from the stakeholders that the crisis dated back to the governorship primary election.
He said that among the contentious issues mentioned by the warring factions included the complaint by the Dogara group that the governor did not support his emergence as Speaker, unpaid workers’ salaries, improper utilization of the Paris Club refund, power sharing in the transition committees among all constituencies and the need to consider federal appointments.
Ngige said, “The committee on Bauchi APC fact-finding was set up Wednesday 12th April, 2017 by the National Chairman and the working committee. We were given terms of reference to go and find out what is wrong with our party in the Bauchi State in the main and to reconcile the warring parties.
“This was crystalised into four terms of reference, that is, four points terms to the committee, which is to interact with major shareholders in Bauchi State.
“We were also arising from one to pursue a framework for establishing peace and reconciliation between all levels of the party in the state.
“We were also asked to examine the roles and actions of individuals in the crises and the commend measures to promote party discipline, respect for others and to submit a report between two weeks.
“We commenced our works the following day, adopting the modalities given to us by the party and identify all the persons and critical stakeholders to parley with in this particular assignment.
“Mainly, we found out that Mr Speaker of the federal House of Representatives, Dogara and members of National Assembly, Senators and members, were at one side of the divide and at the other side of the divide, we had executive governor of Bauchi state, His Excellency, Mohammed Abubakar and members of the state assembly, his commissioners and a large chunk of the party structure, majority were on the other side.
“We, therefore, decided to have an interactive session with the affected individuals. We first had special parley with Dogara as number four citizen in Abuja here and thereafter, we also had an interaction with executive governor, His Excellency, Mohammed Abubakar here in Abuja also.”
The minister added, “We decided as a fact-finding committee that our work would not complete if we don’t go to Bauchi and interact with people and in view of some of the allegations levelled against the governor and the state government….So, we also went to Bauchi State.
“But before proceeding to Bauchi State, we had an audience with members of National Assembly from Bauchi here in Abuja. We also spoke to some people at the other side, a resident in Abuja, like Sen. Yakubu Lame, one of the founding fathers of the party, APC. Our finding was that the origin of the crisis was dated back to the period preceding, during and after the primaries for nominations of the APC governorship candidate in 2014.
“Problems have since then protracted despite efforts by wellmeaning individuals to see what they can do and ameliorate the differences. The party in Bauchi State became highly polarised and factionalised to the extent of imparting negatively on the capacity of the party to win election….Other people we met were Sen. Matori and Sen. Muhammed.”
Oyegun promises action on report
The APC National Chairman, after receiving the report of the Ngige-led six-member factfinding and reconciliation committee on Bauchi State at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, pledged to that the NWC will work expeditiously to take further action on the report’s findings and recommendations.
“I can give you one assurance that we will proceed expeditiously to take such further action and whatever is necessary to crack the hard nut of restoring peace to Bauchi state.” The APC National Chairman said.
Odigie-Oyegun said this after Ngige had said that relevant party stakeholders in Bauchi State were ready for peace and reconciliation.
“The committee noticed that there remained an overarching desire for peace and reconciliation provided certain minimum conditions are met. Whatever roles and actions each individual played or took, the interest of the Party seemed to be the dominant consideration,” Senator Ngige said at the report submission ceremony.
Are the stakeholders in Bauchi APC really ready for peace and reconciliation as noticed by Ngige? The way and manner by which the key figures in the crisis respond to the way out suggested in the report will surely reveal this in due course.
The chairman of the fact-finding committee said his team learnt from the stakeholders that the crisis dated back to the governorship primary election