Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara said he has accepted a request from his constituents to recontest for the seat of Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency of Bauchi State.
Addressing supporters who paid him a solidarity visit at his Abuja residence yesterday, the Speaker said he was already contemplating stepping aside, having represented the constituency for almost 12 years.
The three-term lawmaker, however, said he was overwhelmed by the unalloyed support and solidarity by his people who travelled from Bogoro, Dass and Tafawa Balewa Local Governments in Bauchi State to Abuja to impress upon him to recontest.
“Some people said they will retire us from politics, but we want to inform them that only God and the electorate can retire us,” he said.
He also made it clear that only the electorate have the power to determine whoever would emerge as their leaders, adding that nobody would impose leadership on them.
The Speaker also promised to continue to attract infrastructural facilities and other developmental projects to his constituency.
“I want to assure you that whatever you want us to do is what we will do. For those who said they will retire us from politics, I want to tell them that we have just begun,” he said.
Earlier, leaders of the visiting group, Alhaji Murtala Miyetti Allah, Mrs Keziah Dare and Mr Bulus Iliya Bully, had said they came on behalf of the people of their constituency to appeal to the speaker to seek re-election into the House of Representatives in 2019.
They added that they could not afford not to have him represent them again, given the giant strides he had recorded in the last 12 years.
