Dogara dumps PDP for APC, meets Buhari

Yakubu Dogara, former speaker of the house of representatives, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mai Mala Buni, chairman of the caretaker committee of the party, broke the news to state house correspondents after he and Dogara met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja on Friday.

“We paid a courtesy call on the president in continuation of our effort to rebuild the party. We are here to see Mr. President and brief him on the development,” Buni said.

Asked why Dogara accompanied him, he said: “The former speaker is a member of the APC… he is back because the reason he left the APC is no more there.

“He (Buhari) welcomed him (Dogara). He’s happy with the development. That’s what he’s looking for. We are rebuilding the party and these are the steps we are taking towards rebuilding the party.”

Buni said efforts are in place to reach out to other aggrieved members of the party, adding that the APC is being rebranded to “outlive us”.

“We will do justice to all our members and that’s what will bring peace and that is why will guarantee peaceful coexistence, that is what will bring the consolidation of the party, the rebuilding of the party. Without doing justice, you cannot achieve that and we are sure of doing justice to all our members,” he said.

“We are rebuilding the party to outlive all of us. It’s not only about specific time or period, its not about election, its not about electioneering. It is about building a party.”

Dogara had left the APC after he fell out with Mohammed Abubakar, former governor of Bauchi state, who lost his reelection.

But Dogara, who represents Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa federal constituency, was reelected into the house of representatives on the platform of the PDP.

He led the screening committee of the PDP for the Ondo governorship election.