A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, Bulus Iliya, has dismissed as misleading and unfounded a trending social media narrative suggesting that former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, is seeking to become Vice President in 2027.
Iliya, in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, described the development as a calculated attempt to ridicule Dogara and create political tension.
He said the alleged attack on Dogara, which was linked to former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, was based on fabrications aimed at tarnishing the former speaker’s reputation.
According to him, the controversy originated from a Facebook post by one Babangida Abubakar Haruna, who allegedly circulated a poster bearing the images of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a 2027 presidential candidate and Dogara as his running mate. The poster reportedly gained little attention until Senator Sani reposted it with a remark Iliya described as “mischievous and politically motivated”.
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“The situation changed when Senator Shehu Sani reposted the image with the caption: ‘Until now, I have never seen a person contesting to be Vice President. I believe it’s a mischief.’ That single intervention gave life and momentum to an otherwise obscure social media post,” the statement read in part.
Iliya argued that Sani’s comments were far from innocent and appeared to be a deliberate attempt to mock Dogara and portray him as desperate. He alleged that the act may have been orchestrated to serve the interests of political actors seeking to undermine Dogara’s standing.
“It is difficult to believe this was a coincidence. Senator Sani knew exactly what he was doing, why he was doing it and for whose benefit. His action points to a sinister political motive,” Iliya said.
The APC chieftain insisted that Dogara remains a loyal party member and supporter of President Tinubu, adding that the notion of campaigning for the office of Vice President is baseless, since the constitution reserves the choice of running mate exclusively for the presidential candidate.
“At no point in Nigeria’s political history have parties sold nomination forms or conducted primaries for the office of Vice President. Consequently, the idea of campaigning for such a position is illogical and baseless,” he stated.
He challenged Senator Sani to prove that Dogara had any connection to the circulating poster, adding that the allegation amounts to a deliberate falsehood if no evidence is produced.
“If Senator Sani cannot prove that Yakubu Dogara authored or sponsored the post, then the conclusion must be that this is a fabrication done to ridicule him for reasons best known to the senator,” he said.
Iliya further warned against attempts to undermine political figures through misinformation, saying such acts are capable of distracting leaders and derailing democratic progress.
