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Tag: PDP

  • Bishop warns North’s elders

    Bishop warns North’s elders

    Anglican Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Emmanuel Chukwuma, has warned the Northern Elders Forum on its threat to sue former Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika, at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

    Chukwuma, who is also the Southeast Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), said people would resist such move.

    The forum had threatened to sue the former Army chief over his alleged role in army operations in the Northeast.

    Chukwuma slammed the Northern elders for keeping quiet when Ndigbo were being killed daily.

    “Northern elders should be warned; otherwise, they are calling for another war. I want to tell them that they should drop the idea of sueing Ihejirika,” he said.

    The cleric said President Goodluck Jonathan should balance the appointment of service chiefs by including an Easterner, otherwise the Senate should not approve the appointments.

    The bishop, who described Tukur’s exit as belated, urged the Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, to resign.

  • PDP picks Mu’azu as chairman

    PDP picks Mu’azu as chairman

    The Peoples Democratic Party on Monday appointed former governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu as its new National Chairman.

    The party’s National Executive Committee took the decision on Monday afternoon.

    Reports had earlier indicated that the former Bauchi governor had been adopted as the PDP national chairman.

    The decision to pick Mu’azu, according to reports, was reached at a meeting attended by President Goodluck Jonathan, party leaders and state governors in Abuja, which ended on Monday morning.

     

     

  • Can divided Southwest PDP bounce back?

    Can divided Southwest PDP bounce back?

    The Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is enmeshed in a protracted leadership crisis. There is no Zonal Executive Committee in place. Its caretaker committee headed by an acting chairman is weak. Following the feud between President Goodluck Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the former leader has not been able to command the loyalty of the dispirited party chieftains in the zone. But, the leadership of the President’s pointsman, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has also been disputed by some aggrieved stalwarts. With Ekiti and Osun State governorship elections  around the corner, the question is, who will lead PDP’s battle against the formidable All Progressives Congress (APC)? What impact can the party make in the Southwest? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the fate of the crisis-ridden party struggling to bounce back in the APC stronghold.

    For the Southwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), history is about to repeat itself. In 2011, the party, which once dominated the region, was dislodged by the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Unresolved post-primary crises became the party’s albatross during the election. Ahead of the proposed governorship polls in Ekiti and Osun states, the party is held down by a debilitating leadership crisis.

    The PDP army is scattered like sheep without a shepherd. Its leading lights are in disarray and working at cross-purposes.

    Following its defeat in the last general elections, the party was heading for the doldrums in the zone. Many party leaders retreated to their shells. Their supporters were left in the cold. Many of them consequently defected to other parties. Those who stayed back were disillusioned. Others were simply indifferent.

    Worried by the decline in fortune, a chieftain from Ogun State, Prince Buruji Kashamu, picked up the gaunglet. The billionaire businessman started the process of rebuilding the collapsed edifice. His platform was the Omo Ilu Foundation, which gave succour to the people. The empowerment programme was unprecedented in the Gateway State.Thousands received vehicles, motorcycles for commercial purposes and money to set up petty businesses.

    But, today, the embattled Southwest PDP leader is swimming in a pool of controversies. As the Chairman of the PDP Mobilisation Committee in the zone, he does not enjoy the support of some influential anti-Jonathan forces. Obasanjo, who has described him as a drug baron, is annoyed that the President has recognised him as the zonal leader. Some party chieftains in other states are also grumbling that his leadership lacks credibility. But, the politician from Ijebu Division is undeterred. Apart from denying being a drug trafficker, he said that he had worked closely with the former President in the past.

    Kashamu, according to his followers, came with a message of hope. When their morale was down, he urged the party members not to jump ship. He also wooed members of other parties to defect to the PDP. In August 11, last year, thousands of Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) and Labour Party (LP) members defected to the PDP. Among them were Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, former Secretary of the PPN and Commissioner for Education under the Gbenga Daniel Administration, and Otunba Adeleke Adekoya, former PPN chairmanship candidate in Ijebu North Local Government Area.

    At the PDP secretariat in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, thousands also defected to the party. They were led by the former deputy governor and Ogun State ACN chairman, Chief Rafiu Ogunleye. “This great journey started on that fateful day when Prince Buruji Kashamu came to my home in Itele-Ijebu, in company of the PDP chairman, Bayo Dayo, Otunba Ola Kukoyi, Prince Fakoya and Chief Dele Odulaja ,to ask me and my group, Imole, for partnership in PDP,” said Ogunleye, who praised Kashamu for his mobilisation prowess.

    At the event, prominent PDP leaders, including former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu, PDP National Secretary Prof. Wale Oladipo and Otunba Rotimi George-Taylor also applauded Kashamu for rebuilding the party.

    Party chieftains also acknowledged Kashamu’s financial support for other chapters in the region. He has lent support to the state executives and encouraged them to embark on massive membership drive. At a party meeting in Ijebu-Igbo, the former Caretaker Committee Chairman, Chief Ishola Filani, told the stakeholders that the businessman-turned politician has revived the party in the zone.

    When the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, visited the Southwest in March, last year, Kashamu mobilised members from the six states for the event.

    Also, when President Goodluck Jonathan came to flag off the reconstruction of the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, he mobilised party members who came in lorry loads to cheer the President.

    Kashamu boasted that the PDP will bounce back in the six states. “I’m ready to commit myself to ensuring the success of the PDP governorship candidate in Ekiti State during the forthcoming election. It would be a shame on my part, if I fail to do that. I’m ready to do the same thing in Osun, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Oyo states,” he added.

    Kashamu, it is believed, has risen on the back of the proracted feud between Dr. Jonathan and Obasanjo to the zonal leadership. Vocal and blunt, he has stood shoulder to shoulder with former Governor Daniel. he has also challenged Gen. Obasanjo to a duel. Even, when the Lagos PDP leader, Chief Bode George, frowned at his soaring image in the PDP, he called his bluff.

    In the West, the billionnaire politician is a leading advocate of ‘Jonathan for second term’. “Those fighting Jonathan don’t love Nigeria. Once someone has been elected into office, we must support such a person, until his tenure is over,” he said. He has also been chiding the defectors from the PDP for jumping ship.

    Kashamu has also adorned the cap of a propagandist. He has objected to the carrot and stick approach of Obasanjo, saying that President Jonathan cannot afford to wipe out the troubled spots in the North like Odi. He has also advised the North to negotiate for power shift, instead of making it a ‘do-or-die affair’. he urged the President to declare his bid for continuity, stressing that heaven will not fall.

    Kashamu, who acknowledged that the Southwest has been marginalised, appealed to the President to give the region its dues. “Yoruba men and women should be appointed to key positions by this administration,” he said.

    Many agree that Kashamu is on the prowl in the Southwest at a time the APC is not prepared to yield any ground in the region.

    “PDP has produced many leaders in this zone-Chief Sunday Afolabi, Chief Yekini Adeojo, Chief Shuaib Oyedokun, Senator Yinka Omilani, and Alhaji Oladipo. None of them could mobilise the party for victory, until the PDP rigged out the AD under Obasanjo Administration in 2003. But, rigging failed in 2007. The stolen mandates in Ekiti and Osun were retrieved at the Court of Appeal. How can the PDP bounce back now that the Southwest progressives governors are performing?,” asked an APC chieftain.

    A Lagos PDP chieftain, who craved for annonimity, said that Kashamu is a disputed party leader in the zone. “We don’t know him in Lagos. Our chairman, Captain Tunji Shelle, has never attended any meeting called by him. But, I know that he is really trying his best in Ogun State”, he said.

    For now, there is no proper zonal leadership in place. The Southwest PDP congress has not been held. Can Kashamu instal a new zonal executive, if a legal congress holds today? A party chieftain from Ekiti State said that this feat is possible, although he pointed out that no zonal congres can be held now because of the atmosphere of disharmony in the party.

    Across the six chapters, there is tension. Although party leaders were pushing for consensus candidacy at a time, the option has been dropped. There were allegations that the Presidency had settled for annointed candidates. This did not go down well with other governorship aspirants.

    In Lagos, there is the peace of the graveyard. The combatants have deliberately withdrew from the battle front. But, they will soon return during the governorship primaries. In the last eight years, Lagos PDP has been battling with crises triggered by personality clashes and ego war among its leaders. The grouse of the leaders is that George is fond of politics of exclusion.

    In Ekiti, there are caucuses revolving around key leaders, including the deposed governor, Mr. Segun Oni, Minister of Police Affairs Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd) and Fayose. There is an agitation for zoning to the South District. But, the clamour is being resisted by other zones. Some people even believe that zoning is not an issue in Ekiti. They believe that the state is one zone.

    There are over 14 governorship aspirants in Ekiti. Thus, it is feared that the crowded race may be a prelude to post-primary crisis.

    In Osun, crisis is brewing, ahead of the governorship nomination. There is a gang-up against Senator Iyiola Omisore by other governorship contenders. A source said that, if he emerges as the candidate, others may work against him at the poll.

    In Ondo, there is no difference between the ruling Labour Party (LP) and the PDP. The infiltration of LP elements into the PDP has unsettled some leaders. The chapter lacks a dynamic leadership. Pro-Mimiko chieftains of the PDP are not at peace with other party faithful.

    Oyo is also a divided chapter. The leaders -Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, Senator Teslim Folarin, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Afez Gbolarunmi, and Taofeek Arapaja, are nurturing their antagonistic structures, instead of the party.

    Last week, some Southwest PDP chieftains converged on the residence of Chief Richard Akinjide at Ibadan and resolved never to accept Kashamu’s leadership. The former Attorney-General and Justice Minister echoed Obasanjo’s objection, saying that the leaders cannot work with a drug baron. Kashamu fired back, saying that he has been cleared by the court.

    Can the PDP bounce back in the Southwest? Can Kashamu lead the party to victory? Time will tell.

  • Jonathan, PDP governors meet ahead of Monday meeting

    President Goodluck Jonathan Sunday night  met behind closed-door with governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at State House, Abuja.

    Journalists were asked to leave the arena of the venue of the meeting which was said to be not for coverage.

    Details of the discussions at the meeting, which started around 9.p.m, was unknown as at press time but it may not unconnected with Monday’s selection of the new PDP National Chairman following the resignation of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

    Some of the state governors at the meeting Sunday night included Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Idris Wada (Kogi), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Aliyu Babangida (Niger) and Martin Elechi (Ebonyi).

    Others are Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe)  Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Liyel Imoke (Cross Rivers) Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Garma Umar (ActingTaraba) qne  Bala Ngilari (Deputy Governor Adamawa).

    Also at the meeting were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, PDP National Deputy Chairman, Uche Secondus, and the Senate President, David Mark.

  • No consensus yet on Tukur’s successor

    No consensus yet on Tukur’s successor

    * PDP breaks into caucus meetings for consultations

    * Search team to recommend two candidates to NEC

    * Opposition mounts against First Lady’s favoured aspirant

    There are no signs yet from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) about a consensus replacement for Alhaji Bamanga Tukur who resigned as national chairman on Thursday.

    But it is expected that a successor will emerge tomorrow.

    This has sparked an intense horse-trading within the party’s hierarchy.

    The search team saddled with the responsibility of recommending two names to the PDP National Executive Committee which is reconvening tomorrow is said to be particularly under immense pressure to deliver.

    Party leaders broke into caucuses last night for consultations on the next chairman of the party.

    But of note was the opposition swelling up against SenatorIdris Umar, Minister of Transport and the supposed preference of the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

    Sources said that some political interests in his native Gombe State were not disposed to lending him their support.

    The fate of the 16 candidates jostling for the seat will be determined largely by President Goodluck Jonathan, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, and the Presidential Strategy Team led by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State.

    The aspirants are ex-Governor Adamu Mu’azu; ex-Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Maina Waziri; the Chairman of TETFUND, Musa Babayo; a former National Chairman of Grassroots Democratic Movement, Gambo Lawan; ex-Minister of Commerce, Idris Waziri; the incumbent Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar; Senator Abubakar Mahdi; Senator Abba Aji; a former National Chairman of NDP, Habu Fari; a former member of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Wakil. Others are a former Minister of Defence, Shettima Mustapha; a former Ambassador to the US, Dr. Hassan Adamu; a former National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Prof. Rufai Alkali; Ibrahim Bunu; a former Local Government Chairman in Yobe State, Hassan Kafayus; and a former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong.

    Some of the aspirants have already appeared before the Dickson Strategy Team for what a source described as “interactive purpose.”

    Sources spoke of intense lobbying of the team to allow the Borno-Yobe axis to produce the next PDP National Chairman.

    But it was learnt that some stakeholders from Bauchi and Gombe, including the governors of the two states, are not keen on the slot for their states.

    A source in the Strategy Team added that consultations were still in progress last night.

    The source said: “PDP leaders have decided to break into caucuses for consultations to make recommendations. I think Sunday will be a decisive day for the party. We may know the direction we are going on Tukur’s successor.

    “From the look of things, we may end up coming up with two nominees. At the end of the day, the President, the BOT Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, the PDP governors and the Strategy Team will determine who should lead the party and table convincing arguments before the NEC.

    “The President has confided in party leaders that: ‘I will not allow anyone dictate to me or the party this time around, I will make sure we look for a credible hand. This is why the search is challenging.”

    Another said there has been much sympathy for the Borno-Yobe axis.

    The source said that attention has shifted to aspirants from Borno and Yobe states- Adamu Maina Waziri, Shettima Mustapha, Abba Aji, Gambo Lawan and Mohammed Wakil, Ibrahim Bunu, and Hassan Kafayus.

    But of these aspirants, only four are said to stand any good chance of getting the slot.

    Three of them- Adamu Maina Waziri, Shettima Mustapha and Abba Aji have already appeared before the Strategy Team.

    The fourth aspirant, Gambo Lawan is yet to interact with the Team.

    The source said: “But there are issues with some of these aspirants before the team. While some are claiming that Shettima Mustapha is old, a few others have revisited the role of Abba Aji on the ill-health of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in not transmitting a letter to the National Assembly which led to the succession crisis.

    “As for Adamu Maina Waziri, they said he was the only PDP stalwart from Borno-Yobe axis whose houses in Potiskum and Kaduna were attacked and vandalized in 2011 during the post-election violence.

    “But some leaders are uncomfortable with Waziri being close to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. Waziri’s loyalists however said by being close to Obasanjo, he may be a bridge-builder and be in a better position to reconcile various tendencies in the party.”

    Gambo Lawan is rated as a good party administrator but some forces recall the role he played as chairman of one of the five parties in the Abacha years

    Although Mohammed Wakil is being backed by some members of the Strategy Team, it was discovered on Friday that he is under 50 years.

    Wakil, whose name is said to be on the ministerial nominees list could make Jonathan’s new cabinet.

    Stakeholders from Adamawa State have fears that with the exit of Tukur, they might not have a say in the NWC again.

     

  • PDP denies suspending commissioners, advisers in Enugu

    PDP denies suspending commissioners, advisers in Enugu

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Udi Local Government of Enugu State has denied the suspension of some top government officials of the state government.

    In a statement issued in Enugu, it said that on no occasion “did our Local Government Executive Committee meet to take any decision to suspend the mentioned party members as provided for in Articles 57 (3) and 59 (2).”

    The Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Mr. Amaechi Okolo, the State Commissioners for Youth and Sports, and Commerce and Industry, Mr. Chijioke Agu and Dr. Jude Akubuilo, respectively, Special Adviser to the governor, Mr. Sunny Agu, and his counter-part in-charge of Industrial Parks, Mr. O. A. U Onyema, were purported to have been suspended by the Chairman of the party in Udi Local Government Area, Mr. Uche Ogbodo.

    But in the statement signed by 16 Local Government Executive Committee members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Udi Local Government Area, it described the purported suspension as unconstitutional, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever.

  • Ihejirika’s removal to strengthen military – Orji

    Ihejirika’s removal to strengthen military – Orji

    Abia State governor, Theodore Orji, has described General Azubike Ihejirika, as a great soldier who represented Abia State to his best, stressing that his removal as the Chief of Army Staff was a normal thing in the military formation and that it is part of the re-engineering in the military by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “General Ihejirika was appointed by Mr President and the same man that appointed him has the right to also remove him, therefore it is a normal process that will help to strengthen the military,” Orji said.

    The governor added, “He was not removed for incompetence as he was a fine officer and a gentle man who performed his duties as COS creditably well and his removal was the prerogative of the President. We are nearing election year so that President needs to re-engineer the polity.”

    On the resignation of the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP], Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, few days ago, the Abia State governor said it was voluntary and in the best interest of the party to ensure internal democracy as well as strengthen it.

    He made these statements while speaking with newsmen in Umuahia when he returned from Abuja after the caucus meeting of the PDP.

    According to him, the mature move by the former national chairman will help to re-engineer the party and also give credibility to democracy of the country.

    “It is rare in this part of the world to see public office holders resign in order that the institution they represent will succeed and it is a great gesture and a sacrifice for the benefit of all,” Orji said of Tukur’s action.

    The governor used the forum to assure that the governors and lawmakers who left the party will soon come back to the party, adding that other political parties should emulate what Tukur did as his own sacrifice to move the party forward.

    He denied any gang up against President Goodluck Jonathan to deter him from continuing his good work for Nigerians and urged Abians to remain steadfast in giving their support to the PDP, “As it is determined to change the lives of the citizenry at all times.”

    Orji added that no amount of gang up against both the PDP and Mr President will stop him and the party from succeeding and making the country great and for the benefit of the people, stressing that the problem in the PDP will make it better.

  • PDP ranks deplete in Edo

    PDP ranks deplete in Edo

    THE last April 20th local government elections in Edo State has proved to be a game changer of sorts, as the Peoples Democratic Party candidate who won the councillorship election in Ward 4 Estako Central Local Government and Ward 10 Estako West Local Government, Mr. Peter Akhugie, along with his supporters have since dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Justifying his exit from the PDP, Akhugie said: “I decided to dump the PDP for the APC due to my conscience because I want the best for my people and not deceit. PDP leaders are using us to make money for themselves rather than for the people, but we have said enough is enough. We want to join Oshiomhole to make our state and council better for our people.”

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole who was full of joy receiving the defectors promised the people of Ogbonna that his administration would continue to extend development to every nook and cranny of the state irrespective of the political divide.

    The governor said politics is about development and not about sharing rice and sugar during elections.

    He said: “I have come not only to welcome Peter into our fold, this local government is now 10/10, exactly the same way it is 18/18 in Edo State after my election. And that to recognise that our strength is not in empty rhetoric, making promises that we will not keep, I have come to assure the people of Ogbona that we have done one borehole before, we will do another one. The weapon we have against the PDP is our developmental efforts and they have no answer to it. Each time they plan at night but in the day time God will destroy their plots.”

    “When you were not with us, we did a borehole and now that you are with us, we will do more. We will continue to build and rehabilitate more schools because education is the foundation for our tomorrow. We will make our schools the most beautiful and attractive. In the past, only the children of the rich attended beautiful schools,” Oshiomhole stressed.

  • Edo APC to begin membership registration

    Edo APC to begin membership registration

    •Receives 400 PDP members

    THE last April 20th local government elections in Edo State has proved to be a game changer of sorts, as the Peoples Democratic Party candidate who won the councillorship election in Ward 4 Estako Central Local Government and Ward 10 Estako West Local Government, Mr. Peter Akhugie, along with his supporters have since dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Justifying his exit from the PDP, Akhugie said: “I decided to dump the PDP for the APC due to my conscience because I want the best for my people and not deceit. PDP leaders are using us to make money for themselves rather than for the people, but we have said enough is enough. We want to join Oshiomhole to make our state and council better for our people.”

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole who was full of joy receiving the defectors promised the people of Ogbonna that his administration would continue to extend development to every nook and cranny of the state irrespective of the political divide.

    The governor said politics is about development and not about sharing rice and sugar during elections.

    He said: “I have come not only to welcome Peter into our fold, this local government is now 10/10, exactly the same way it is 18/18 in Edo State after my election. And that to recognise that our strength is not in empty rhetoric, making promises that we will not keep, I have come to assure the people of Ogbona that we have done one borehole before, we will do another one. The weapon we have against the PDP is our developmental efforts and they have no answer to it. Each time they plan at night but in the day time God will destroy their plots.

    “When you were not with us, we did a borehole and now that you are with us, we will do more. We will continue to build and rehabilitate more schools because education is the foundation for our tomorrow. We will make our schools the most beautiful and attractive. In the past, only the children of the rich attended beautiful schools,” Oshiomhole stressed.

  • Bamanga taku

    Bamanga taku

    The PDP chair might have been kicked out; his ‘resignation’ now won’t amount to much

    Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the erstwhile Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took the rug off my feet when, after behaving like a drowning man that would not hesitate to cling, even to a serpent for help, for months, finally bowed to pressures to resign on January 15. Alhaji Tukur had been in search of a saviour for months. But genuine saviours don’t come cheap. And when they do, they come to the rescue of people in genuine need of help. At some point, the PDP chair leaned on President Goodluck Jonathan; at some other time, he found succour on the shoulders of his wife, Patience Jonathan. That he was still forced out of office showed that he was all the while building (his salvation) on shifting sand. Those he looked forward to for help might themselves be in need of help.

    I am pained though that Alhaji Tukur beat me to it. I had already concluded, as early as the beginning of last week, to write on him because I was baffled that in spite of the fact that the PDP had been crumbling on his head, he never deemed it fit to resign, at least as honourable men would have done. The headline that I initially chose: Tukur taku! (Tukur adamant!) was provided by a colleague. That is why, despite the fact that Alhaji Tukur has resigned, I still found the headline (which I later modified to ‘Bamanga taku’) irresistible and appropriate, if only to stress the fact that his resignation came far too late.

    People should be able to read the handwriting on the wall. Alhaji Tukur was humiliated out of office; he only did not wait for the formalisation of the humiliation process. So, what has all his stone-walling and filibustering amounted to, after all? At his age, Alhaji Tukur ought to know when it is time to go; he ought to have known that it is best to leave when the ovation is loudest. It was because he failed to know this that he stayed longer than necessary in the toilet, and eventually ended up being assailed by all manner of maggots. The shame and disgrace that he was running away from in the twilight of his life and political career, which made him to stay put as party chair, even when it was obvious that he was no longer wanted, eventually became his lot just because he refused to face realities.

    Rumours had started making the rounds the day before he finally threw in the towel that he had resigned, but this was refuted with everything within Tukur’s arsenal. He said the purported resignation was a ruse and that it was the handiwork of his political detractors. I don’t know why people like deceiving themselves like this. A woman who has only one child was told that her child was misbehaving somewhere, and she asked: which of them? Was it not clear, even to the blind, that Alhaji Tukur had lost the battle to retain his job a long time ago? He was probably the only one that did not see that his end as PDP chair was nigh. The crisis in Rivers State is enough to finish him as party chairman.

    And, at a time he should be asking Allah for forgiveness of sins, he, in desperation to keep his job, even lied in faraway London when he told a gathering that for every five members who left the PDP, the party records about 500 new entrants. “The PDP remains a party with the largest spread and tested strength to win elections any day any time …” Tukur told the visiting Nigerian professionals. He added: “The good thing is that if five people move out of PDP into the other party, even by a dint of propaganda, the party takes in more than 500 at a time as replacement. The electorate in Nigeria trusts the PDP more than many people are aware,” a boastful Tukur further stated. He was trying to impress his audience that the defection of five of the party’s governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was inconsequential. He had forgotten that in this era of internet, such lies cannot endure. The greatest fool knows this is a lie. But that is how they have been running the country. In the PDP, lying is politics.

    It is shocking, however, that, at 78, Alhaji Tukur made himself available to be used as a virtual puppet. What did he want again? It is not that he is poor. Anyway, since he was not man enough to do what he should have done when it was most honourable, he should at least return home to do what he originally should be doing now that it is all over: tend to his grandchildren and great grandchildren (if any).

    Let no one shed tears for him. He was not born a party chair; he was not the first PDP chair. Has he forgotten that that is the way things are in the ruling party? Has he forgotten how former President Olusegun Obasanjo visited the then chairman of the PDP, Chief Audu Ogbeh, ate pounded yam with him at his family house and, a few hours later, backed Ogbeh’s removal from office? Has Alhaji Tukur forgotten that the PDP chair seat is a musical chair? He ought to have been more circumspect knowing that people who were by far better party chairmen than him had gone. If people who were able to keep the party together and elevate the status of party chair could lose their job so ignominiously, what gave Alhaji Tukur the confidence that he would be able to keep his, even as the party was crumbling under his watch?

    It is sad that a septuagenarian who should be thinking more about celestial matters is still hankering after terrestrial things. But just a rhetorical question: Will Alhaji Tukur, in all conscience, be proud to hand this kind of job over to his children?

    With speculation that the President’s wife was already scheming to install his successor, after delicately backing him through his long, troubled moments, Nigerians should pray that the First Lady should continue to bring her influence to bear in the PDP because we need more of such negative influence from her to completely tear the party apart.

    But no one should harbour the illusion that Alhaji Tukur is alone in this stay-put syndrome. He is only emblematic of the disease afflicting them in the PDP, nay, Africa generally. And that is one of the dangers of keeping the party in power for longer than necessary; its men will never go without a fight. A friend of mine has always warned that we need to be wary of people who eat stockfish without picking their teeth because such people will never pay their debt. I do not know how Alhaji Tukur’s resignation at this point in time will amount to much in the course of events. As a commentator said online, his resignation is ‘probably too little and too late!’ Not only that, Alhaji Tukur is only but a puppet, he is not the issue in the PDP. The real issue is the puppeteer himself. Is he seeking reelection in 2015, or is he not? This is the bone of contention in the ruling party. And it will remain so until the ruling party wobbles and fumbles out of the 2015 election.