A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Dogara’s defection comes barely 48 hours after Dogara and some aggrieved northern APC leaders declared support for the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.
Dogara was received into the party during the presidential campaign of Atiku in Lagos.
The development laid to rest speculations on the next move of Dogara and members of his camp.
Recall that the Northern Elders Consultative Forum, including the Christian leaders of the APC in the North, had on Friday, formally adopted Atiku for presidency.
The APC Northern Christian leaders had said Atiku was adopted following the resolve of the leaders to work with their Muslim counterparts to adopt one of the presidential candidates in a bid to challenge the same-faith presidential ticket of the APC.
In 2020, Dogara dumped the PDP to join the APC.
Dogara, alongside former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and some governors had left the APC for the PDP ahead of the 2019 general election.
But, in 2022, Dogara, again, defected to the opposition party, after the Northern Elders Consultative Forum, claimed the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC was a minus to the ruling party.
The group had said the leaders took consideration of the existing structure of the PDP, capacity of the candidates, evidence of national penetration, religious and ethnic balance, among others to arrive at the decision.
Dogara was appointed as a member of the PDP Campaign Council on Sunday.
In a statement on Sunday, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, who also doubles as the Director-General of the PDP PCO, said the appointment was with immediate effect.
Part of the statement read, “The leadership of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council wishes to formally announce that Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has been appointed as a member of the Presidential Campaign Council with immediate effect.
“This is part of our continuous effect in joining hands with our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to recover our great country, Nigeria.”
