REPS MEMBER CAUTIONS MELAYE OVER PLOT TO IMPEACH BANKOLE

By NBF News

National Assembly member representing Tafawa Balewa, Dass and Bogoro Federal Constituency, Yakubu Dogara has cautioned his colleague, Dino Melaye and his group declaring that no single member can arrogate to himself the power to change the leadership of the House.

Dogara, who made the remark over the weekend in Bauchi was responding to allegation that some of the members in the House loyal to Melaye were plotting to impeach the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole.

Speaking to newsmen, the lawmaker said such plot would fail noting, 'I don't think one member of the House can arrogate to himself the power to change leadership. In both faiths we believe that leadership comes from God. 'God can give it to whoever at anytime that he wants. So the question of somebody, one member standing up to say there will be a change of leadership does not even arise.

'That members tried that in the past and what is the result? So if somebody is sound upstairs, he should know that it is foolishness to keep repeating the same thing and expecting different outcomes.

'I know quite a number of members who unfortunately lost the bid to return to the House, but that is not the end of life, that is not the end of politics.

 'If you lose today, you might win tomorrow.' Dogara who won the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket to contest for the second time declared that losing the ticket to return to the House might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. 'And I know that people are not happy and naturally you won't be a happy man if you lose, I believe that there is a platform for all of us to deal with our anger and very soon, we will get out of it.'

Dogara who was at the national convention of the Bauchi Teachers College Old Students Association (BATCOSA) and the 80th year anniversary of the college in Bauchi enjoined teachers to teach the nation how to achieve peace and peaceful co-existence among the diverse ethnic groups in the country.

'Peace is achievable but only if we work very hard for it, As teachers, let us teach our nation and the people how to achieve it,' Dogara, a product of the college further said as teachers and educationists who occupy vintage position to impart knowledge and mould character, they were in a better position to proffer solutions to conflicts bedevilling the nation.

Dogara noted in a lecture he presented entitled:  The role of Old Students Associations in Conflict Transformation in Contemporary Nigerian Society, that nations today were faced with persistent and seemingly intractable conflicts between groups and individuals searching for cultural identity and to secure a future.

He explained that marginalization of social and ethnic groups, endemic corruption, unemployment, youth restiveness, quest for resource control, division between rich and the poor, as well as unhealthy competition for power had all combined to turn our nation into some sorts.