Our emergence not linked to 2019 elections -Dogara

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, said on Wednesday that the internal squabbles within the All Progressives Congress, which threw him up as the speaker had no links with the politics of 2019.

He noted that the conflict over the emergence of the presiding officers of the National Assembly would not affect the stability of the APC in any way, neither would it serve some political interests linked to 2019.

Dogara explained that members of the House in particular, in their resolve to work, sought to protect the independence of the legislature with the choices they made on June 9.

He insisted that the change the APC promised Nigerians would be delivered to them.

Dogara spoke in Abuja when he met with a delegation of the defunct 2014 Presidential Primaries Committee of the APC.

Dogara had served on the committee.

The speaker added, “We are here to work and we don’t have any reason to fail.

“We cannot fail. That is why I pick holes in the ambition of those who have their eyes fixed on 2019.

“We didn’t get here because of 2019. If we do the right things and the people see results, 2019 will take care of itself.

“We can’t fail because we are here to bring change.”

He claimed that the APC was not in crisis as people were meant to believe, adding that whatever differences that were expressed would be resolved.

“People talk about crisis in the party, I don’t see any crisis. Even if there is, the party has the capacity to deal with whatever issue pertaining to its members and their interests.

“The crisis being perceived by a section of people in the APC is not a crisis, but simply a conflict of ideas because we are not perfect as we are all products of imperfection,” Dogara told the delegation.

The delegation was led by the committee’s former Secretary, Dr. Alex Ideye.

Ideye had advised Dogara to be magnanimous in victory by carrying all members, particularly his opponent who lost to him, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, along.

“We are here to congratulate you on your election as the speaker of this lower House.

“We implore you to reciprocate the good gesture of a dogged fighter in the person of our erstwhile Minority Leader, Gbajabiamila, for accepting defeat and congratulating you as speaker after the results were called and declared and for also resolving to work with you,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dogara has said that the Ajaokuta Steel Complex needs special prayers for the project to deliver on its set objectives.

He expressed his concerns when members of the Kogi State caucus in the House paid him a visit.

“I don’t know if there are demons besetting that place that is making things difficult to work out there.

“Apart from hoping that things will change in that place, I also feel we should employ prayers for the complex to be restored.

“We all know what Ajaokuta stands for, and we are putting it to paper and debate it. By that, I mean the sectoral debate that we have proposed in our legislative agenda,” Dogara stated.

The caucus was led by Mr. Bubba Jibril, who complained to the speaker that the delay in the completion of the steel complex was compounding the unemployment situation of the country.

“It is estimated that about 50,000 engineers can be engaged with about another 40, 000 workers as support staff in Ajaokuta Steel.

“It has three turbine plants, which if harnessed, can supply uninterrupted power to Benue, Kwara and some parts of Anambra,” Jibril added.