{"id":8553,"date":"2013-08-18T07:39:47","date_gmt":"2013-08-18T07:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigerian-newspapers\/pdp-crises-when-will-tukurs-respite-come\/"},"modified":"2013-08-18T07:39:47","modified_gmt":"2013-08-18T07:39:47","slug":"pdp-crises-when-will-tukurs-respite-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/pdp-crises-when-will-tukurs-respite-come\/","title":{"rendered":"PDP crises: When will Tukur\u2019s respite come?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As part of moves aimed at resolving the crisis in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was said to have met with the PDP governors in the early hours of last Monday. One of the grouse expressed unanimously by the governors at the parley was the high handedness of the party\u2019s national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as the major cause of disaffection within the party.<\/p>\n

In raising their resentment of the party under its present leadership, some of the governors expressed disenchantment with the National Working Committee, NWC dissolution of the state\u2019s party structures without consultation with the governors.<\/p>\n

The governors were also said to have raised their opposition to the proposal of automatic ticket as recently mooted for the president and governors by some party elders including the Board of Trustees, BoT chairman, Chief Tony Anenih.<\/p>\n

It would be recalled that Tukur emergence as the national chairman of the PDP in March 2012 was achieved under controversial circumstance . To many, he did not emerge as PDP national chairman through due process as they believed that the presidency had to force more qualified and experienced candidates to withdraw for him.<\/p>\n

Since then the embattled national chairman has been moving from one crisis to the other and there has been no respite for him.<\/p>\n

Under him, what was hitherto considered unthinkable and impractical within the party happened, as he carried out the suspension from the PDP of two sitting governors- Governors Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers state and Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto state, though Wamako\u2019s suspension has since been lifted.<\/p>\n

Governor Amaechi\u2019s offence started from his spurning the party\u2019s directive to reinstate the sacked chairman and councilors of Obio\/ Akpor council of the state while Wamakko on his part got \u2018punished\u2019 for alleged serial disregard to summons issued him by the national leadership of the party. But following PDP governors\u2019 intervention, Wamakko\u2019s suspension was lifted a week after, but governor Amaechi has remained suspended.<\/p>\n

Tukur with full backing of the presidency has not shied away from meting out punishment to any governor who \u2018misbehaves\u2019 as he vowed to maintain discipline in the party . He has been telling those that are not ready to defer to party supremacy or abide by the party\u2019s rules to take a walk from the party: For instance he has told the five northern governors who are critical of his way of management of the party in clear terms that they are free to leave the party<\/p>\n

Currently, five northern governors\u2013Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state, Tukur\u2019s home state, are not supporters of the PDP National Chairman. The other governors are Babangida Muazu Aliyu (Niger state), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto). In recent weeks, war of words between the governors and Tukur had been raging unabated. In their views, Tukur is the greatest problem confronting the PDP. Wamakko said : \u201cHe (Tukur) has been running the PDP as a personal business from his private home.\u201d<\/p>\n

The governor then called for the PDP National Chairman\u2019s sack because according to him, he (Tukur) is not competent to hold the position. Nyako, the Adamawa state governor also has no kind words for Tukur, his kinsman. He too shares Wamakko\u2019s sentiments. According to Nyako, Tukur is not competent to run the party. The Adamawa state governor believes Tukur does not deserve any respect as long as he is unable to prove his competence, capacity and ability as the PDP National Chairman.<\/p>\n

Nyako said: \u201cThe issue at stake is his competence, capacity and ability as the National Chairman of the PDP. Is he running the PDP competently enough? Is he providing level playing field? Is he fair and just to everybody concerned?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tukur\u2019s \u2018enemies\u2019 had accused him of using his position as the national chairman of the party to pursue personal political agenda . They cited the crisis in Adamawa PDP where the party is currently polarised between two factions one loyal to Nyako and the other to Tukur to buttress their point. The Nyako faction is led by Umaru Mijinyawa Kugama while the faction loyal to Tukur has Joel Madaki as chairman. Kugama was the chairman of Adamawa chapter of the PDP prior to Tukur\u2019s assumption of office as the party National Chairman.<\/p>\n

But no sooner had he emerged than he dissolved the Kugama executive thus dismantling the party\u2019s structure in the state. The Madaki group is currently enjoying recognition from the Tukur-led PDP national leadership and this has pitched him in fierce battle with Nyako. Now that the governors are picking on Tukur as the problem of the party and are mostly calling for his removal, will he survived this new plot? Will he be sacrificed as an atonement for the crisis in the party?<\/p>\n

Does he still receives the support of the presidency as in the past? Will, he like a cat with nine lives survive this new plot against him? These are the questions to which nobody can authoritatively answer. And as the search for peace in the ruling party continues, Tukur\u2019s fate is hanging in the balance, of course, this is not a new phenomenon for the embattled chairman.<\/p>\n

In June, Tukur faced a more serious situation when there was a demand for him to resign from office and after much intense lobbying and permutations, he survived the threat. President Jonathan had on June 8, 2013 set up a committee, with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, as Chairman, and the Chi<\/p>\n

ef of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe; governors Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom; Ibrahim Shema of Katsina; Theodore Orji of Abia; Isa Yuguda of Bauchi; Gabriel Suswam of Benue and Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and the Political Adviser to the President, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak as members to recommend ways of arresting the worsening crisis in the PDP.<\/p>\n

Anyim\u2019s report had recommended that though Tukur and former National Secretary and National Auditor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Elder Bolaji Anani and Bode Mustapha respectively were the only officers duly elected, it called for Tukur\u2019s resignation on the grounds that it would be untidy to allow him remain in office.<\/p>\n

Besides the National Chairman, other members of the NWC whose resignation were suggested were Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja; the Acting National Secretary, Solomon Onwe; National Organising Secretary, Abubakar Mustapha; National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh; National Auditor, Adewale Adeyanju; National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon; National Woman Leader, Kema Chikwe; National Financial Secretary, Elder Bolaji Anani; National Youth leader, Garba Umar Chiza; and National Treasurer, Bala Kaoje However the PDP governors who had since been elevated to being members of the national caucus ensured soft- landing for the embattled Tukur at the meeting of the party caucus.<\/p>\n

Among the group of pro-Jonathan governors who made passionate appeal for the embattled National Chairman, were the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum Chief Godswill Akpabio, Uduaghan and Suswam.<\/p>\n

The vote-of-no-confidence on Tukur which was mooted by certain governors, particularly from the North-West, who are disenchanted with his style of leadership, were warded off by Governor Akpabio, who met with members of the G-84, and secured their support for Tukur.<\/p>\n

The G-84 is a forum for state chairmen and secretaries of the party across the 36 states. They are members of National Executive Committee, (NEC) of the PDP Also in May 2012 with less than three months in office , Tukur ran into a problem which led to the power that be in the country including the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN to again call for his removal as the PDP national chairman.<\/p>\n

Concerned by the persistent attacks on Northern states by Boko Haram, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur aired his views about the insecurity crisis in the country especially in the northern party and described the Boko Haram as people who feel aggrieved and are seeking for justice. While receiving members of the PDP from Gombe State in Abuja, Tukur stated, \u201cWe can\u2019t even travel again because of the insecurity in the region. Boko Haram is fighting for justice. Boko Haram is another name for justice. People feel aggrieved. They are angry because they are hungry. Unless we remove the hunger, we too may not be able to rest\u201d.<\/p>\n

In response to Tukur\u2019s statement, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) expressed their dismay at Tukur\u2019s choice of words in describing the religious sect. The National President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, stated, \u201cI am surprise none of you journalist has picked him up to explain to Nigeria whose justice he is talking about, because in a sense he is a spokesman for Boko Haram. The Chairman of PDP, the largest party in Africa, he is a spokesman for Boko Haram.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat justice is Bamanga Tukur talking about, 1000 of people who have been killed so far in Maiduguri, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Jos, Kano, who is showing the family of those killed justice\u201d.<\/p>\n

Reacting to the CAN President\u2019s statements, the PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, clarified Tukur\u2019s position on the insecurity issue and reassured that Tukur is indeed a patriot of Nigeria. Metuh stated, \u201cOver the decades, he has built bridges of friendship across religions and regions of Nigeria, etching his name as an African statesman. It is on record also, that since he was elected the national chairman of our great Party, his message has been consistent on the imperative of unity, equity and justice for every Nigerian.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has never hidden his resolve and determination to use the historic opportunity offered by his leadership of the nation\u2019s ruling party to champion the ideals of the founding fathers of the country that irrespective of our tongue, tribe and creed, Nigerians are one and that our diversity is our greatest strength\u201d. But despite this defence put up by Metuh, many powerful Christians in the country were still very critical of Tukur\u2019s utterances<\/p>\n

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. <\/a>A DisNaija.Com<\/a> network.<\/p>\n

Source: National Mirror Newspaper<\/p>\n

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