Former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has expressed doubt over the purported suspension of his traditional title, saying the palace has yet to serve him a letter or invite him, in the spirit of fair hearing.
Dogara, in a statement, yesterday, was reacting to his suspension as Jakadan Bauchi, by the Bauchi Emirate Council and a suit filed by the state government over the Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa violence, in December.
The state government and the palace had accused the lawmaker of sponsoring the violence that broke out during the 21st memorial of Baba Peter Gonto, the late Sayawa nation crusader.
Emirs of Bauchi and their Dass counterparts were attacked on their way to the event slated for December 31. Property was destroyed while many sustained injuries.
In his reaction, entitled ‘My take on my purported suspension as Jakadan Bauchi’, Dogara stated: “Ordinarily, I wouldn’t join issues with the Emirate Council because of the respect I have for both the emir and the council. But because there is a ludicrous and legally inchoate criminal complaint filed against me and others by the Governor of Bauchi and his moneybag lackeys, who are at the centre of it all, I have decided to state my own side of the story, as several well-wishers and even the press have inundated me with request to respond to events of yesterday, to avoid conviction in the court of public opinion.”
He added that if his name was truly mentioned, Bauchi Emirate, which is one of the oldest in the country, should have invited him for questioning.
Said he: “This, if true, is, no doubt, a violation of my constitutionally guaranteed right to fair hearing. It is also alleged in the letter under reference that I did not sympathise with the two emirs over the unfortunate incident involving them, which is totally untrue. I, therefore, reproduce below the message I sent to the two emirs in the aftermath of the incident for all to see.
“It was also said in the letter that I did not show remorse over the incident. As we all know, remorse comes as a consequence of guilt. The Emirate Council cannot convict me over hearsay, without investigation and without inviting me to face any allegations against me. I maintain a clear conscience before God that I have nothing to do with any mayhem in Zaar land, not least the incident involving the two monarchs, as I had no inkling whatsoever that they would be attending an event that was already marred by crisis before it began,”
