Politics
You were broke, Wike bankrolled your election, Dogara tells Bauchi gov
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Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has expressed surprise at the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed’s verbal attacks on the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
According to Dogara, Mohammed’s attack on Wike is surprising because Wike financed Mohammed’s campaign to become governor.
In a long statement on Tuesday, Dogara said he and others supporting Mohammed to become governor were shocked that despite being a former minister he had no money to fund his governorship bid.
Dogara said apart from Wike taking control of the PDP primary to ensure Mohammed’s emergence as the PDP flag-bearer, he went on to provide Mohammed with money and logistics, which enabled him to win the election and become a governor.
In the last couple of weeks, Wike and Mohammed have been locked in a media war, with Mohammed describing Wike as a transactional politician who is propelled by personal gains.
Mohammed, who is the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, also described Wike as a serial betrayer and a threat to the PDP, urging him to resign from the PDP and join the ruling All Progressives Congress, which appointed him the FCT minister.
However, wading in on Tuesday in his statement titled, “Let the truth be told,” Dogara said that given how Wike helped Mohammed in the past, the Bauchi governor’s attack on Wike smacked of ingratitude and betrayal.
Dogara wrote, “As someone who knows so much because I was the provocateur of the events between the two that I will speak to, I consider my silence not just cowardice but complicity. Therefore, I am not afraid to stand alone or risk conflict. I should not be misunderstood to be defending Wike but simply stating the raw truth that I know, and I don’t give a damn if the truth makes Wike look good. I have learnt to tell the truth as I enjoy my freedom from being a slave to human opinion.
“For starters, need I remind Governor Bala Mohammed that in the 2018 PDP gubernatorial primaries when we were not too sure he would win because his then major opponent, Senator Abdul Ningi, was the one who constituted the state party structure and had a bosom friend as party chairman, it was Wike we turned to for help.
“I had called Wike to plead with him to help us in Bauchi without necessarily disclosing to him that it was Bala Mohammed that we wanted to be delivered. His response to me, was that ‘Are you sure you are in control of the process 100 per cent?’ I said, I wasn’t too sure and he said to me, ‘Leave it to me, I will help you sort it out.’
“To do it, Wike, first of all, made his bosom friend and close ally, Chief Dan Orbih, the chairman of the panel for the primaries and said I should discuss whatever I wanted with Chief Dan. We got talking, and on the eve of the primaries, Chief Dan was in Benin City, and we needed to get him to Bauchi for the assignment.
“It was Wike that I turned to again, and his response to me was, ‘My brother, I have told you not to bother about this. Tell Chief Dan to come to meet me in Port Harcourt’. I did just that, and amazingly, Wike provided the private jet that flew Chief Dan to Bauchi and out of Bauchi for the assignment. I can say without fear of any contradiction that Wike bore all expenses for the exercise. It’s, therefore, shocking that this so-called transactional character called Wike did not place any condition whatsoever for his support.”
The former Speaker said Wike did not stop there, stressing that the former Rivers State governor assisted Mohammed during the main election as the latter had no money of his own to fund his campaign.
“After the emergence of Bala Mohammed as the party flag-bearer and having promised to sponsor all the party candidates if he gets the ticket, we were rudely awoken to the reality that Bala Mohammed had no money for his campaigns, let alone for other candidates of the party.
“Initially, I thought it was some kind of a funny joke but as time went, I realised to my utter bewilderment that it was true. It turned out Bala Mohammed had lied to us about his financial capacity. So we had a meeting at my then residence at Wuse II Abuja to help raise money and we thought since Bala Mohammed was a one-time minister for nearly six years, he must have built enough goodwill we could harness if we organised a fundraiser for him.
“A committee was put in place and we spent N20m to organize the fundraiser at the then Lady Kwai Hall, Sheraton Hotels, Abuja. Before then, I had asked Bala Mohammed to give me a list of some of the people he had helped while he held sway as Minister for FCT. He obliged me with the list, and after calling just four people on the list that I know so well, what they said to me jolted me and I reserve that for some other day. But suffice to say that I knew the fundraiser would be a flop, so I was already thinking of alternatives.
“As predicted, we had the fundraiser, and to cut the long story short, all we raised from the fundraiser was a paltry N48m and If you deduct the N20m invested in organising it, that leaves you with a net of N28m. I have the records and our stakeholders are there to bear witness to this.
“When it was obvious the masquerade would soon turn to a human being, I told our then two serving senators who are alive and can testify that the only option we had was to go to a friend and brother, then Governor Wike for assistance. We got tickets and flew to Port Harcourt with Bala Mohammed without informing Wike that we were coming with him.
“On arrival, we were ushered into the Government House and asked to take our seats and wait for the governor, who was still upstairs, to join us shortly. As soon as Wike walked down the stairs to join us and saw Bala Mohammed, his visage changed and I noticed he was cold to me for the very first time. He asked us to join him at the dining room for breakfast but excused me while those on my delegation waited. What happened next was nerve-racking and humbling, I must say!
“He was like, ‘Speaker, why did you bring Bala to my house without even caring to find out what our mission was?’ I said to him, ‘I thought he was your friend since both of you served in the same cabinet under President Jonathan’. He said, ‘Let me tell you what you don’t know. When we were ministers, Bala Mohammed allocated plots of land to all ministers except me’. He also recalled how he humiliated him when he went to see him in his office as a colleague minister just to get approval to increase the number of floors on a building he had in Abuja, not to beg for the plot, which he refused to allocate to him.
“He said Bala Mohammed kept him in his waiting room for hours and later sneaked out of the office. From that day, he (Wike) made up his mind never to have anything to do with him again. He added, ‘I wish you had told me it’s Bala you were rooting for but whatever you want, I will assist you guys because I don’t say no to a brother, but I assure you, you will regret your decision if Bala Mohammed becomes governor’. The rest is history,” Dogara recalled.
The former Speaker also added that Wike confronted Bal,a who admitted to his wrongdoing and pleaded for forgiveness.
“He said to me ‘Let’s join them at the dining so that I can confront him with these issues for you to know that I am not making things up. We joined them at the dining and Wike confronted Bala with these issues in the open and in our very presence, Bala admitted and pleaded for forgiveness, assuring that he was now a changed man. The two senators with me that day can confirm this to anyone who wants to establish the veracity of these narratives.’
“We spent the night at the Government House and the next morning, Wike called and directed that his cash assistance be handed over to me to pass to Bala. I said, ‘Your Excellency, it’s better I call him so that he can collect the assistance himself lest he thinks you are still angry with him’. I sent for Bala and when he came, Wike’s aide handed over the package to him and he collected it while almost kissing the ground. Wike, therefore, gave us the lifeline we needed to kick-start Bala’s campaigns.
“If Bala has forgotten how much we left with that day, I will remind him. Wike didn’t stop there, he gave us a private jet to ferry us back to Abuja. And I must add that was not the only time Wike helped Bala with resources and logistics. What is baffling is that the so-called transactional Wike did not demand anything in return nor place any condition for all that he did.”
Concluding, Dogara stressed that “When Wike was his benefactor, he (Bala) said he knew Wike had done better than him and referred to him as ‘someone courageous, focused and determined, a person qualified and competent to help salvage Nigeria’. ”
Dogara said the Bauchi governor’s record of betrayal is common knowledge.
“Time will not permit me to list those Bala has betrayed, which includes his known godfather and our father, Baba Waziri, Alhaji Bello Kirfi, elder statesman and former Minister under President Shehu Shagari in the Second Republic.”
The National Working Committee, NWC of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has approved the 2026 gubernatorial aspirants screening committee.
Naijablitznews reports this was contained in a release on Wednesday evening signed by Adm Chinwe I. Nnorom (Pst.)
National Director of Publicity
for: The NPS stating that:
“The National Working Committee (NWC) of our Great Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has approved the constitution of a screening committee that will screen all Gubernatorial Aspirants for the upcoming 2026 Primaries ahead of the 2027 Governorship General Elections.
The Committee is made up of the following:
1. H.E. Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, CON – Chairman
2. Dr. Ibrahim Umar – Member
3. Professor Aisha Madawaki – Member
4. Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf – Member
5. Dr. Abdulganiyu Oloyin – Member
6. Hon. Babangida Modibbo – Member
7. Alhaji Buba Biri – Member
8. Hon (CH) Olaniyi Ogungbuji – Member
9. Hon. Mike Ahumibe – Member
10. Barr. Gabriel Igboko – Member
11. Pastor Tony Effiong – Member
12. Mrs. Ojelabi Precious – Member
13. Barr. George Ariolu – Secretary
On: Thursday, 14 May, 2026
At: The PDP Legacy House, Maitama, Abuja.
By: 12:00 pm
PDP-Power to the People!
Members of the caucus of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in the House of Representatives on Wednesday reaffirmed their loyalty to the party and pledged to hold the Federal Government accountable as the opposition bloc positions itself ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The lawmakers, led by the House Minority Leader, Honourable Victor Afam Ogene, paid a courtesy visit to the National Leader of the NDC, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, at his residence in Abuja.
Among those in the delegation received by the NDC National Leader were Honourable George Ozodinobi, Honourable Okey-Joe Onuakalusi, Honourable Lillian Orogbu, Honourable Atta Thaddeous Achief, Honourable Engineer Chijioke Okereke, Honourable Peter Ozokwe, Honourable Murphy Osaro Omoruyi, Honourable Engineer Emeka Idu, Honourable Manuchim Omezuruike, Honourable Muktar Umar Zakari, Honourable Yusuf Umar Datti, Honourable Peter Aniekwe, and Honourable Uchenna Harris Okonkwo.
Also on hand to receive the lawmakers alongside the National Leader were the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi; former Kano State Governor, who also flew the flag of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in the 2023 presidential poll, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; and other leaders and members of the NDC.
Addressing the gathering on behalf of the caucus, Hon. Ogene said the visit was aimed at reassuring the leadership of the party of the lawmakers’ commitment to the ideals of the NDC and their determination to serve Nigerians through effective opposition politics.
“This evening, we are here as members of the House of Representatives Caucus of the NDC to reassure you of our commitment to serve the people of Nigeria in keeping with the motto of our party, ‘Service to the People,’” Ogene stated.
The Minority Leader stressed that the caucus would remain focused on ensuring accountability and democratic governance in the country.
“In rendering this service, we will hold the government of the day accountable to the people so that they would render to the Nigerian people the basic necessities associated with democracy and civil rule,” he said.
Ogene described the NDC as the leading opposition force in the National Assembly, particularly in the House of Representatives, adding that the party’s growing numbers would strengthen its voice nationally and internationally.
“Your Excellencies, we are now the major opposition party in Parliament, especially the House of Representatives from where we operate, and with this number our voice will be strengthened. It will be heard, it will reverberate across not just Nigeria but across the world to hold the government to its responsibilities,” he declared.
He further assured the party leadership of the caucus’ unwavering allegiance to both the NDC and the Nigerian people.
“We assure you of our commitment, we assure you of our loyalty to the party, and we assure you of our loyalty to the Nigerian people. Thank you for receiving us, Your Excellencies,” Ogene added.
Responding on behalf of Senator Dickson and other party leaders, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso commended the lawmakers for their loyalty and dedication to the party, describing loyalty as a rare virtue in contemporary Nigerian politics.
“Your Excellency, the leader of our party, the NDC, Senator Dickson; Your Excellency, the former Governor of Anambra State, Chief Peter O’Dea; Honourable members, Your Excellencies, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, on behalf of my humble self, the leader, and of course the former Governor of Anambra State, and all other leaders, the young men and women who are here, I would like to welcome you to the Leader’s House,” Kwankwaso said.
He thanked the caucus members for identifying with the leadership of the party and praised their steadfastness.
“We have to thank you for the loyalty, which of course is a very rare commodity these days. We appreciate you and we want to assure you on behalf of the leader and the party that we’ll continue to do whatever it takes to carry you with us so that together we can succeed,” he stated.
Kwankwaso also used the occasion to call on Nigerians to register with the NDC and participate actively in the electoral process ahead of the next general elections.
“Let me take the opportunity also to urge Nigerians to ensure that they register with the NDC and also register with INEC as voters. That will give everybody the opportunity to bring about the required positive change that is coming, by the grace of God, in 2027,” he said.
The former Kano governor further charged party members to intensify grassroots mobilisation across their constituencies, particularly among youths and supporters of political change.
“I also want to urge our members, all of you, to go back to your constituencies, mobilise our people, especially the young men and women, and of course the nationalists who are supporting the change we are talking about in this country,” Kwankwaso added.
Former Governor of Ogun State and senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has declared that he would defeat Governor Dapo Abiodun overwhelmingly in the forthcoming senatorial primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general election.
Daniel, who spoke on Tuesday during an empowerment programme organised by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu–Otunba Gbenga Daniel (BATOGD) Movement in Ijebu-Ode, insisted that he remained the popular choice among party members and residents of the district.
“Without any doubt, in a free and fair primary, I will not just win, I will win overwhelmingly,” Daniel declared.
“Go to town and check with the people. Ask them questions. You’re here; on your way out, go to the people and ask questions about who is on the ground.”
He alleged that some forces within the party were planning to intimidate members and suppress voter participation during the primary election.
“What the governor and others depend on is that they’re going to use violence and scare people from coming out to vote. And that’s why I’m telling our people that they should not be deterred; they should come out and vote,” he said.
The rivalry between Daniel and Abiodun has deepened in recent weeks following a meeting of APC stakeholders in Ogun East, where the governor was reportedly endorsed as the consensus candidate for the district’s senatorial seat.
Daniel was reportedly prevented from entering the venue of the meeting held in Ijebu-Ode.
Speaking after the meeting, Former Ogun East senator, Lekan Mustapha, said party leaders adopted Abiodun because they believed he possessed the capacity to represent the district effectively at the Senate.
“We will put a body together to deliver this message to our governor that he has been adopted as the consensus candidate,” Mustapha had said.
However, Daniel’s political structure, under the BATOGD Movement, rejected the endorsement.
The movement’s Deputy Director-General, Tayo Onayemi, argued that the Electoral Act and APC constitution only recognise consensus backed by a written agreement of all aspirants or direct primaries.
“There is nothing like endorsement in the Electoral Act recently signed into law by the President. What we have is consensus by agreement or direct primaries; anything short of this is null and void,” Onayemi stated.
Both Daniel and Abiodun obtained and submitted APC nomination forms and appear set for the party’s primary.
During Tuesday’s event, which featured free medical tests as well as the distribution of empowerment items to his constituents, Daniel accused the Ogun State Government of frustrating developmental projects he had been facilitating in Ogun East.
“The biggest problem we have in going ahead with that project is my brother and our governor. And I don’t see why this should be like this,” he said.
He further criticised the state government over infrastructure and healthcare challenges in the district.
The former governor questioned why the government had allegedly failed to improve medical staffing and public health facilities.
“Why has the government not been able to get international staff? We’re going to need more doctors and nurses,” he added.
Daniel also cited the large turnout at the BATOGD event as evidence of his grassroots support.
“The notice of this meeting was issued two days ago. The people are here standing; they’re trying to stop it again,” he said.
“So, how do you think the party can make progress if you don’t take into account the position and expressions of the masses of people that you see here?”
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