The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Tukur

  • Fresh trouble for Tukur

    Fresh trouble for Tukur

    National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who has been fighting a prolonged battle to save his party may have fresh troubles at home as some big players in Adamawa State chapter of the party gang up to challenge his alleged role in his son’s governorship ambition, reports Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan

    The National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, may be the victim of a series of meetings by critical stakeholders of the party in Adamawa State to discuss how the gubernatorial flag-bearer of the party for the 2015 general election should emerge.

    Reliable party sources say the meetings were called at the instance of some party elders and were meant, among others, to allay growing fears among party chieftains, especially gubernatorial aspirants, that the PDP gubernatorial primary would be tailored towards the emergence of a particular aspirant.

    The elders were said to have decided on the move following the defection of Governor Murtala Nyako’s faction of the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “This is not the first time such a meeting will happen within the party in Adamawa State, but this time, the meeting got to discuss the very fear of the aspirants which is the aspiration of Hon. Awwal Tukur, first son of the national chairman of the party, for the governorship in 2015.

    Four meetings have been held to discuss the issue in recent times. The exit of Governor Nyako’s camp from the PDP has given fillip to the demand for a party structure that will take care of the interest of every party member.

    The aspirants want to be assured that Tukur will not impose his son in 2015. Many of them are toying with the idea of moving to other parties to pursue their gubernatorial aspiration if the new party leadership is not in a position to give them assurances on the matter.

    “This was why elders of the party waded into the matter and summoned the meetings to prevent further exit of party chieftains and aspirants,” a source said.

    According to sources at the meeting, the stakeholders may have resolved to move against any plan by Tukur to influence the emergence of Awwal as the party’s flag-bearer in 2015.

    Prominent leaders of the party in the state, who are said to be part of the decision, include Senator Jubril Aminu, Amb. Wiberforce Juta, Gen. Tony Hannaniya, Dr. Idi Hong, Sen. Grace Jackson Bent, Retired Commodore Dan Suleiman, Sen. Bello Tukur, Alh. Adamu Modibbo, Dr. Umar Ardo, amongst others.

    The decision to move against Tukur, according to sources, followed a recent statement credited to the PDP boss that his son is entitled to the governorship of Adamawa State.

    Responding to criticism that he is openly promoting his son’s gubernatorial aspiration, Tukur reportedly said his son had been in politics long before he became the national chairman of the ruling party and saw nothing morally wrong with his support for his son’s ambition.

    “You are talking about my son. He was in politics before I became the chairman. He was in the House of Representatives before I became the chairman. I leave my son to be what he wants to be. I cheer him up if he is looking for leadership, why not?

    “Whoever they want should be their leader. I am not interested if he is my son or she is my daughter. If you are my son or my daughter, so what? Those who are governors, are they not sons of some individuals? If they are daughters, are they from the tree? They are sons and daughters of some persons. If he says he wants to be governor, I will clap for him,” the PDP boss reportedly said.

    The statement allegedly re-ignited the suspicion that Awwal would be imposed on the party by the national leadership of the party as the gubernatorial candidate in 2015, forcing stakeholders to take the decision to kick against such move by the Tukurs.

    “The situation now is such that Awwal’s ambition has become a problem for his father. Nobody is ready to look at his eligibility and suitability for the job anymore. The mere fact that there is suspicion that his father is behind his ambition has created a moral problem for him.

    This is also likely to cause a face-off between the national chairman and some leaders of the party in Adamawa State. Given the many crises within the party at the national level and in many states nationwide, this is not a good development at all,” our source added.

    Findings by The Nation howver revealed that in a bid to present a united front in the looming battle against the Tukurs, the stakeholders may also adopt a leading gubernatorial aspirant, Dr Umar Ardo, as a consensus candidate for the 2015 governorship race.

    It was gathered that the idea of a consensus candidate came up during one of the meetings and Ardo’s name was bandied by the majority of party chieftains and other stakeholders present.

    “The issue of a consensus candidate came up when someone raised the issue of how the high number of aspirants may help Tukur to swing victory in his son’s way. It was suggested that some of the aspirants should be advised to quit the race so that the party will be united in its quest to resist imposition.

    Although the idea is still being discussed, there are indications that many of the party chieftains and elders will line up behind Ardo. This followed a recent shower of encomiums on the governorship aspirants by party leaders for what they described as his “gallant opposition” to Governor Murtala Nyako before the latter decamped to the APC.

    The commendations came at an elders and stakeholders meeting with the newly elected state and local government executives of the party in the Dougire House of Prof. Jibril Aminu in Yola.

    Prof. Aminu, who chaired the meeting, commended the efforts of Dr. Ardo, saying that he worked and fought more than “all of us here” to get the PDP where it is today in the state.

    He described Ardo as the party’s pillar in the state, adding that Dr Ardo has contributed immensely to the struggle to liberate the party with finances, logistics, legal battles, strategy and other needed support, “without which we would not have achieved much” and advised politicians to look out for leaders from among the likes of Dr. Ardo.

    Other party chieftains like Dan Suleiman, Juta, Hannaniya, Hong, Sen. Bent, Sen. Tukur and Modibbo, also praised Ardo for his unflinching commitment to the cause of the party and the state.

    Political analysts are of the opinion that should the stakeholders stick to their gun in the choice of candidate, the national chairman, who is allegedly not a fan of Ardo, may soon be embroiled in another round of intra party squabbles within his home state.

    “Even if Tukur backs out of his allegd plot to make his son governor, he is likely to oppose the choice of Ardo and this will once again pitch him against the stakeholders,” a source said.

  • I am shocked by defection of PDP governors to APC, says Tukur

    I am shocked by defection of PDP governors to APC, says Tukur

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Bamanga Tukur is shocked at the defection of five governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    To Tukur, the governors went too far by defecting from a ruling party into the opposition camp, saying that the door of negotiation and dialogue was still open to the defectors.

    Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), alongside members of the Abubakar Baraje faction of the PDP, defected to the APC on Tuesday.

    A statement yesterday by his media aide said Tukur, who is on a visit to China, had been in touch with the Presidency and party leaders on the development.

    The statement quoted Tukur as saying that the development was normal in a democracy as, according to him, the party leadership would always come together to salvage the party.

    Tukur said: “There is always a limit to demonstration of anger. If anger can cause you to pack all your bags and load and then move into the home of your arch opponents, that, to me, is an anger so misdirected and it is unfortunate.

    “We cannot ask anyone not to leave the party if he so decided. After all, soldiers go, soldiers come. If anyone leaves the PDP, many more people will join. It happens every time.

    “All the same, I seize this opportunity to say to others who want to remain to stay back and join the process of re-building and reforming the PDP.”

    Tukur urged willing members of the G7 and other aggrieved members of the PDP to return to the “mainstream” party. He assured that the PDP would always be ready receive returnees back into the fold.

    “What we are saying is; let us come together as a party to promote the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan who we elected to lead us in Nigeria.

    “Let us put behind us crises and bickering so that the President and leaders of the party could concentrate on governance and delivery of the dividends of democracy to all.”

  • Tukur restates commitment to peace, reconciliation

    Tukur restates commitment to peace, reconciliation

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, on Tuesday vowed that the leadership of the party would not waver in the task of effecting the needed reforms.

    He restated the party’s commitment to seeking peace, unity and reconciliation among the membership.

    Tukur said: “There is no going back in this struggle to entrench democracy and good governance in our country. No going back in seeking peace, unity and reconciliation of our differences.

    “I want all of you to understand where our family is and the family will always adjust and move forward and do what is in the best interest of the family.

    “I can assure you of our journey to rebuilding our party based on equity and justice in which there is no going back. We will entrench a process of election, and not selection. Our philosophy remains consensus and not imposition.

    “When you have a strong united and peaceful political party you are sure of having a good developmental programme for the nation.”

    Tukur stated this when some interest groups paid him a courtesy visit at the party’s secretariat.

     

     

  • Tukur, Baraje in war of words

    Tukur, Baraje in war of words

    The ruling by a Federal High Court, Abuja affirming Alhaji Bamanga Tukur’s leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sparked a fresh row between the Tukur and the Abubakar Baraje factions.

    In separate statements shortly after the judgment was delivered, the two factions renewed their media war.

    Reacting to the judgment, the National Publicity Secretary of the Tukur-led PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said henceforth, any group or persons parading themselves as leaders of a faction of the PDP would be treated as impostors and criminals.

    But the Baraje faction responded by saying that despite the judgment, it has every right to continue using the PDP flag, symbol and colours as bonafide members of the party.

    In a statement shortly after the ruling, Metuh said: “Henceforth, the leadership of the PDP will no longer tolerate or condone any meeting, utterances, press statements and/or activities whatsoever under the name, flag and colour of the PDP by any unauthorised person or group(s) under any guise.

    “As a law abiding party, the PDP remained calm in the face of the unwarranted attacks of the last few months. Our leaders chose the path of caution and decorum but our reconciliatory moves and offer of olive branch were treated with the highest disdain and viewed as signs of weakness.

    “The National Working Committee has therefore directed that the name, colour, flag and the provisions of the constitution of our party must be held sacrosanct by our members.”

    In his own statement, the National Publicity Secretary of the Baraje faction, Chukwuemeka Eze, vowed that the faction would pursue its case against Tukur up to the Supreme Court.

    Eze said: “Let us reiterate that we will see this issue to a logical conclusion, including going to the Supreme Court, if necessary, to ensure that a non-member of our party does not continue to lord it over us as our national chairman.

    “Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and his loyalists should therefore, not celebrate yet as any such celebration would be short-lived, as we are more than ever determined to show him the way out of the exalted position he is illegally occupying.”

    Metuh reflected that the challenges the Tukur-led PDP faced in the last few months, instead of detracting the party, had better positioned it to continue to win elections at all levels in the country.

    He reminded the factional members that the PDP has adequate internal mechanism for resolution of disagreements and advised them to channel their grievances to the appropriate organs of the party.

  • Apologise to Adamawa: PDP chieftain tells Tukur

    Apologise to Adamawa: PDP chieftain tells Tukur

    Mr. P. P. Elisha, the Secretary of the factional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State and a loyalist of Governor Murtala Nyako, has advised the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to apologise to Adamawa people or expect their political anger in 2015.

    The politician told reporters yesterday in Yola, the state capital, that Tukur was using his closeness to the Presidency to inflict hardship on his people because of his intention to install his son as the next governor in the 2015 election.

    Elisha said Tukur had drawn unnecessary battle line with his people, who are mainly PDP supporters and who overwhelmingly gave their mandate to Nyako.

    He accused Tukur of conniving with some Abuja elements to ensure that the Federal Government denied owing the state N5 billion because of his political differences with Nyako.

    According to him, Tukur does not do what he preaches. Elisha urged the people to ask the chairman why he dissolved the Adamawa State Exco of the party and refused to approved the decision of a 10-man former National Working Committee (NWC), which reinstated the Exco members.

    The secretary explained that some people had been lying to President Goodluck Jonathan that if he released the fund the Federal Government it owned Adamawa State, Nyako would use it against the President’s ambition.

    “Jonathan did not give us money before we voted him as President and it will not be fair of him to rob us of our right because of an individual’s ambition,” Elisha said.

  • Sallah: PDP factions, Atiku, urge sacrifice, accountability

    Sallah: PDP factions, Atiku, urge sacrifice, accountability

    The Bamanga Tukur led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Nigerians to take advantage of this year’s Eid El Kabir festival to ensure total reconciliation and rededication to the ideals of sacrifice, patriotism and total submission to the will of God.

    Similarly, the Abubakar Baraje led faction also urged Nigerians to pause and reflect on the significance of the festive period, which highlights the need for sacrifice and the benefits thereof.

    In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of Tukur’s PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, on Monday, the party urged Nigerians to always be guided by the lessons of the Eid El Kabir which emphaises selfless service, obedience to constituted authority and love for one another.

    Metuh said: “The lessons of this great celebration are of critical importance to our dear country at this moment in our political evolution. Nigeria will be a greater country if all citizens imbibe the culture of sacrifice, selfless service and support to constituted authority especially the current transformational efforts of the Federal Government.”

    He called on Nigerians to remain their brothers’ keepers and remember the less privileged as they celebrate the feast of sacrifice. He urged Muslim clerics and faithful to pray for the peace and unity of the country.

    In a statement issued by the spokesman of the Baraje faction, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, the party called on those in political authority to imbibe the culture of sacrifice.

    The party called for divine intervention in the affairs of the country, “which explains why our party chieftains led by our National Chairman, Alhaji Baraje went to the Holy land for this year’s pilgrimage, for the opportunity to pray for our troubled country.

    “We are confident that with prayers and the needed sacrifices, Allah will show us mercy and intervene to solve our current economic and political challenges”, Eze stated.

    On his part, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar observed that accountability and a sense of inter-personal love are two important values that Nigerians must continue to uphold.

    In a statement by his media office, Atiku said only accountability could ensure the freeing of government resources for development to end joblessness, insecurity and pervasive economic hardship being faced by Nigerians.

     

  • Lar laid PDP foundation- Tukur

    Lar laid PDP foundation- Tukur

    National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has described the late Chief Solomon Lar as one of Nigeria’s greatest nationalists, who laid the foundation of the party.

    In a condolence letter to the wife of the late statesman, made available to The Nation, Tukur said: “It is with shock that I received the shattering news of the passage of one of Nigeria’s greatest nationalists, Chief, Dr Solomon Lar.”

    He described Lar as “a close friend and an associate, to me politically for a long time now,” adding, “he was open minded, fearless, dogged and a resolute fighter for the right of the oppressed and the less privileged.”

    According to Tukur, Lar “was one of those who challenged certain policies of the military regime at that time despite the dangers to their lives and property which such divergent views posed.

    “ Lar stood to be counted among other nationalists and brave statesmen who refused to keep quiet while the nation was getting close the precipice.

    It was his group which midwived the formation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Lar was one of the founding fathers of PDP and our pioneer Chairman.

    “He also led the PDP to electoral victories in 1999. In a sense, Lar laid the foundation for the strong resilient and vibrant political party which the PDP is today.”

  • Court dismisses suit against Tukur, others

    Court dismisses suit against Tukur, others

    A Lagos High Court, Ikeja, on Thursday dismissed a suit filed by Alhaji Kawu Baraje-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP against Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, for lack of jurisdiction.

    The Judge, Justice Oludotun Adefope-Okojie, held that the Lagos State High Court had no power to assume jurisdiction over a matter which originated outside its territory.

    Adefope-Okojie said the applicants had averred in their affidavit that the cause of action was the Special Convention of the PDP held on August 30 in Abuja.

    She said they also averred that the PDP had its registered office in Abuja and that none of the defendants was resident in Lagos.

    The judge held that the argument by the applicants’ counsel that the court could effect its judgment against the defendants was not relevant at this stage.

    “I hold that with the defendants not resident in Lagos and the subject matter originating in Abuja, the High Court of Lagos State has no power to assume jurisdiction over this suit.

    “I accordingly make an order striking out the suit,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted justice Adefope-Okojie as saying on Thursday.

    NAN recalled that Baraje, Dr. Sam Jaja and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, filed the suit on September 1.

    They urged the court to restrain Tukur, Uche Secondus, Deputy National Chairman; Kema Chikwe, Women Leader; and Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary; from parading themselves as PDP National Executive Committee members.

    The Counsel to the defendants, Mr. Joe Kyari-Gadzama (SAN) and Mr. Emeka Etiaba, had on September 18 asked the court to strike out the suit for want of jurisdiction.

    They argued that the writs of summons was not endorsed and did not comply with the mandatory requirements of Section 97 of the Sheriff and Civil Process Act.

    However, the applicants’ Counsel, Mr. Robert Emukpaeruo, had urged the court to dismiss the defendant’s preliminary objection and assume jurisdiction.

     

  • Tukur to Baraje’s faction: Let’s unite for national confab

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has appealed to members of the Abubakar Baraje faction to close ranks with the mainstream PDP, to enable the party forge a common front for the national dialogue.
    In a statement he signed on Tuesday, Tukur said the ruling party would mobilise Nigerians from all walks of life, including opposition groups, for the success of the conference.
    Tukur said the dialogue offers a life time opportunity for Nigerians to re-lay the foundation of the country, stressing that the nation would emerge as a true giant of Africa at the end of the exercise.
    He said, “I appeal to members of the PDP to align with the President on the national confab agenda. I also appeal to our aggrieved members to return to the PDP for us to forge a common endeavour towards rebuilding the party and our country in particular.
    “For this reason, I will not shy away from begging our party members to come together so we can enter the national confab like a team and set examples for the rest of Nigeria.
    “In doing that, we would have demonstrated that we remain the most serious party, not only in Nigeria but in Africa”.
    The chairman said the PDP was excited by the government’s desire to bring all ethnic nationalities in the country together for discussions on the progress and future of the country.
    He commended President Goodluck Jonathan for responding positively to the yearnings of the Nigerian people for a national conference.
    Tukur wondered why the idea of the conference was being criticised by certain individuals and groups in the country.
    He described the critics as hypocrites, saying that many of them had severally called for the conference in the past and had mounted pressure on the President to set machinery in motion for the talks.
    The chairman admitted that the ruling party is presently at a crossroads, a development which he said, is normal in democracies.
    What is not normal, according to him, “is a situation where dissenting members resolve to permanently stand apart with little regard for the party’s starting line, past efforts in building the party, as well as common aspirations in raising the party to be the most formidable among all.”
    Tukur restated his determination to pursue with vigour the revival of the ruling party and to put the country on the path of sustainable growth and development.
  • Tukur, CAN condole with Ondo, crash victims

    Tukur, CAN condole with Ondo, crash victims

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has commiserated with the Ondo State Government and the families of the victims of Thursday’s plane crash in Lagos.

    A statement by CAN’s President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, said that the association was stunned by the news of the death of 13 persons in the air crash.

    Also, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has described the crash as a national disaster.

    He said, “It is with sense of anguish, that I received the sad news of yet another plane crash in our country with utter shock.

    “The CAN President in his statement said, “Coming barely 16 months after the crash of a Dana Airlines plane, in which about 150 passengers died, CAN believes that the recent crash portends a bad omen for the aviation sector in Nigeria.

    “CAN offers its deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the air crash, the government and people of Ondo State and prays that God in His infinite mercy, should give them the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”

    It added, “Our thoughts go to the bereaved Agagu family, as we continue to pray for the protection of those the late former governor, Olusegun Agagu, left behind.’’

    It, however, blamed the frequent air crashes in the country on the Nigerian factor.

    The statement noted that the take-off and landing of planes remained the most dangerous aspects of flying in Nigeria.

    “We call on the Federal Government to come up with practical measures that would reduce the margin of errors in traffic air signals, mechanical faults and bad weather.

    “It should also undertake periodic investigations of the financial base and repair history of airlines operating in Nigeria. This will ensure that they do not adopt short-cut policies that would endanger the lives of passengers,’’ the statement said.

    Tukur, in his statement said, “My sorrow knows no bound, particularly in view of the circumstances of the tragedy.” The statement signed on his behalf by Prince Oliver Okpala, the Special Assistant on Media, “I share in this national grief. The accident is so painful, given the fact that it occurred as arrangements for the burial of our departed friend, party faithful, associate and ex- governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, had reached the climax.

    “The loss of members of the deceased family and friends of the family in the aircraft is most unfortunate. We are greatly pained by this development.”