Alhassan Ado Doguwa, majority leader of the House of Representatives, has maintained that his alleged murder trial cannot stop his bid to contest for the speakership position of the 10th national assembly.
Doguwa who spoke in Abuja on Wednesday when he officially declared his intention to contest the number four seat in the country, maintained that he is innocent of the murder allegations against him until he is proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
He argued that he is “competent” and it is his turn to be the speaker.
Doguwa said he has been a loyal party member and should be given the privilege to lead the 10th house of representatives.
“The principle of presumption of innocence until one is proven guilty covers me. It does not stop me whatsoever from vying for the position that I know I eminently qualify to vie for,” he said.
“I want Nigerians and my colleagues to join me in prayers so that by God’s grace we will get to know the truth of the matter.
“I must stress that a guilty man who is charged for a case like this would not have gone for a supplementary election and won.”
He said he won the supplementary election despite that it didn’t take place in his local government. He added that his victory proves that his constituent knows that he’s innocent of the murder allegations.
“I went back to the same people of Tudun Wada, offered and presented myself. I canvassed for 7,000 outstanding votes and in the end, the people said ‘this man remains our ambassador’.
“With due respect to the court and without being prejudicial to the position of the law, I want to say that I have obtained a public and political clearance from my people that I am still a worthy ambassador of my people — having won the election again at the supplementary election.
“Even when my state was unfortunately affected by what we call a political tsunami. My zone was a no-go zone. God and my people protected it for me.”
Doguwa polled 41,573 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Yushau Salisu of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), who got 34,831 votes during the April 15 supplementary election.
He will be serving his fifth term when the 10th house is inaugurated in June.
The legislator is standing trial over alleged criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, unlawful possession of a firearm, mischief, and public disturbance.
On February 28, he was arrested at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while boarding a flight to Abuja.
The police had said they received a report that he led thugs to set ablaze the secretariat of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano, with two persons feared dead.
Although the legislator denied any wrongdoing, he was arraigned in March at a magistrate court in Kano and was subsequently remanded in prison.
After a few days in prison, he was granted bail in the sum of N500 million by a federal high court.