From ROMANUS UGWU, and Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

As the crisis among the political gladiators in Bauchi State assumes a disturbing dimension, the Speaker House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has led a delegation of eminent politicians in the state to meet with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the party’s headquarters in Abuja yesterday. This is even as Dogara also led some federal lawmakers from the state to President Buhari also yesterday.
In company with the Speaker recently accused of scheming to take over from the Bauchi State governor, Mohammed Abubakar were Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, Senator Suleiman Nazif from Bauchi North senatorial zone and Senator Ali Wakil, Bauchi Central  Senatorial zone among many others.
Fielding questions from journalists on their mission to the headquarters after the close door meeting with the leadership of the party, Senator Suleiman Nazif, said: “Everything is not ok with the APC  in Bauchi State, therefore we needed the attention of the APC at the national level to come to the rescue of the APC in Bauchi because there is fire on the mountain in the Bauchi APC.”
Explaining the issues, he noted: “There are so many issues, but these are party issues and we felt that there was a need for us to come and discuss with our leaders and those issues are being handles. The national chairman has assured us that he will take a drastic measure immediately and address the APC Bauchi pending problems.”
On whether it has to do with the budget padding in the National Assembly, he replied:
“No no no, it is not about padding, it is about APC Bauchi politics.”
Reacting to the governor’s allegation that he and Dogara are the ones fuelling the crisis, he said: “It is not about 2019, it is about solving the APC problem in Bauchi and ensuring that APC remains united in Bauchi and as you are aware, APC’s strongest hold in the North is Bauchi as far as northern politics is concerned.”
In his reaction, Senator Wakil said “We did not come to speak about the governor; we came to speak about Bauchi state. But we know that when Bauchi state is mentioned, the governor will be involved.”
On the issues involving non payment of salaries and non utilization of bailout funds by the governor, he said: “That is part of the problem. You know that it is an agrarian and civil service state and we must do everything to see that workers are paid as at and when due.
“We are not comparing ourselves with Osun or Edo or other states that have backlogs of nine months, it is not our business, our people must be paid as at and when due and the remaining balances of the stipends must be paid and all the unending verifications must end.”
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari and Speaker Dogara, also met behind closed-doors alongside some lawmakers from the National Assembly.
The meeting, which had Senator Suleiman Nazif (from Bauchi) was Dogara’s second in two weeks.
The purpose of the meeting was not known as at press time and the Speaker avoided all questions by State House correspondents when he emerged from the President’s office.
There are however indications that the meeting was also in relation to the crisis rocking the APC in Bauchi State.