Sultan helped me become speaker – Dogara

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The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has thanked the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, for helping him emerge Speaker.

To emerge speaker, Mr. Dogara defeated his challenger, Femi Gbajabiamila, who was supported by their party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Speaking at a Thanksgiving Service held in his honour at the Church of Christ in all Nations, COCIN, Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi State, the speaker said the Sultan intervened in his election despite his being a Christian.

“This victory; what he celebrate here today, won’t have been possible without God, the Sultanate and others across the country,” he told the church congregation. “For us who are Christian minorities in the North, we should acknowledge that this victory we are celebrating here today, was made possible by the intervention of the Sultan and other others. We should know that there is new thinking in the North.”

“We owe it a duty to make sure we unite our own part of the country and other parts of the country. My emergence as Speaker is as a result of the support of all major tribes of Nigeria, and all faiths in Nigeria,” he said.

Mr. Dogara hails from same part of Bauchi State as Nigeria’s first and only Prime Minister, late Tafawa Balewa. He did not, however, state how the Sultan helped him win the election.

The speaker called on politicians and all stakeholders to seek divine assistance in running the country.

He reiterated that there could be no solutions to the problems facing the country without God’s help.

“Virtually all problems come with elements that are new. The tools we have developed, have become ineffective and without divine wisdom, we cannot deliver as leaders. As citizens of democracy, we must all go to work”, he said.

He said quality leaders were lacking to take up the litany of challenges in the country.

“The biggest problem we have in this country, is a lack of credible leadership. If we have credible leadership in this country, I believe Nigeria can go places”, he stated.

The speaker was accompanied to the service by more than 20 members of the House of Representatives across political party lines and the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Suleiman Bogoro.

Mr. Bogoro in his speech advised the Speaker to be open-minded and continue to keep strong faith in God.

According to him, the emergence of Mr. Dogara was God’s reward to him for his abiding faith and trust in God.

In his sermon, the officiating priest and Deputy Secretary General of COCIN in Nigeria, Dauda Gimba, advised the Speaker to keep firm faith in God. He assured him of more blessings from God. A cluster of pastors later prayed for the speaker and his family.