Bauchi Speaker Reveals Why He Dumped APC For PDP

Bauchi State House of Assembly Speaker, Abubakar Suleiman, has revealed why he dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the Peoples Democratic Party.

Recall that Sulaiman made his defection known last Saturday during the Ramadan Iftar (breaking of fast) hosted by the State governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, for PDP stakeholders from Ningi, Toro, Warji and Dass Local Government Areas of the State at the Government House, Bauchi.

Speaking on why he decided to renounce his membership with APC, the lawmaker said the ruling party has shown him no love since he was made the speaker.

According to Sulaiman, he and his supporters were persecuted and sidelined in the party, hence the need to dump the party.

Naija News reports that the lawmaker in a statement released by his spokesperson, Abdul Burra, said he only gets to hear about party meetings from colleagues.

According to him, meetings are held in his absence and many activities of the party are not known to him.

In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the APC, Guda Ward of Ningi Local Government Area of the state, Sulaiman said: “It’s a well-known fact that getting a speakership position has been one of the lifetime dreams of my Emirate, Ningi. People of my constituency gave me their mandate to represent them and subsequently asked me to pursue their dream of producing Speaker from Ningi.

“I can’t be bigger than my constituency and no interest should be superior to that of my constituents. Thus, I pursued the dream of my constituents and as Almighty Allah willed it, we got it against all odds.

“Since my election as Speaker, the party sidelined me from its activities and meted various forms of persecution on me and my supporters. Despite these, I remained loyal and committed to the party and continued contributing financially to the Party and attending its functions and meetings even if they didn’t invite me. Sometimes I would only get notice of party meetings from my colleagues, but I would still attend.”

He recalled that the persecution got to the level that he was removed as the Chairman of the stakeholders of the party in Ningi LG and replaced with someone who barely knows the local government and the party.

He added: “Through that, they made sure any Party member loyal to me is edged out from the leadership or mainstream activities of the party.

“We should quit the party and join the PDP to consolidate on the unprecedented development being executed in Ningi Local Government and all parts of the State by the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, His Excellency Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammad.”

The speaker has, however, obtained a membership card of the PDP from Guda Ward of Ningi Local Government and pledged to work for the success of the party at all levels, Naija News understands.