TheCable

Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the federal house of representatives, the Bauchi national assembly caucus and other stakeholders on Friday petitioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership over the inability of the state government to pay workers’ salaries.

They accused Mohammed Abubakar, governor of Bauchi state, of diverting bailout funds meant to pay workers salaries.

Speaking to journalists on behalf of the contingent at the APC national secretariat, Ali Wakili, a senator representing Bauchi south, said as lawmakers representing their people they must ensure that workers are paid their salaries when due.

“It’s an agrarian and civil service state, and we must do everything to ensure workers are paid as at when due,” Wakili said.

“We are not comparing ourselves with Osun or Edo or other states that have backlogs of 9 months; it is not our business. Our people must be paid when due and the remaining balances of the stipends must be paid and all the unending verification must end.”

Also speaking to journalists, Sulieman Nazifi, senator representing Bauchi south, said John Oyegun, the APC national chairman, assured them that “he would take distract measures immediately to address Bauchi pending problems”.

He denied allegations that he and the speaker were fuelling the frosty relationship between the governor and the state’s federal lawmakers in view of contesting the governorship seat in 2019.

“Nobody is against the governor, the governor is against himself,” he said.

“APC’s strongest hold is Bauchi, therefore we believe that there is a need for us to come to the national secretariat and address key issues.”