PDP crisis deepens as Jonathan backs Tukur

National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur
| credits: gongnews.net

The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party deepened on Thursday as President Goodluck Jonathan defied pressure from governors elected on the party’s platform to dump the National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

PDP governors, who were insisting on Tukur’s removal, listed his constitutional breaches, which included the failure to convene the National Executive Council meeting in the past nine months.

It was also gathered that they cited his handling of the removal of the National Secrecretary of the party, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and other officers from the South-West.

It was learnt that the governors believed that Tukur plunged the party into an avoidable crisis with his handling of the South-West issue.

Investigations, however, showed that the President had flatly turned down the option of dumping Tukur.

It was gathered that the President’s political strategists were of the view that he would be playing into the hands of the governors if he buckles under pressure by sacrificing the PDP chairman to appease them.

The President’s men are also insisting that acceding to the demands of the governors that Tukur be removed in relation with the crisis involving the state executive committee of the party in Adamawa State would portray the President as being “really weak.”

A Presidency source, who confided in one of our correspondents, said reports that Tukur was in trouble and on the verge on being removed from office were untrue.

It was further learnt that Jonathan and his handlers are of the view that removing Tukur just because governors were not comfortable with him would be unjust as well as portray Jonathan to be lacking effective control of the affairs of the party.

It was further gathered that the President and the leadership of the party are uncomfortable with what they described as the overbearing attitude of the governors who have little or no respect for internal democracy in the party in their respective states.

The source said that the President and those close to him are bitter that the same governors who run the PDP like emperors in their respective states were the same people orchestrating a crisis over the issue of the national chairman of the party.

The source said, “It is not true that the President is under pressure to remove Tukur as chairman of the PDP. Remove him for doing what?

“Being a governor of a state should not be reduced to students’ unionism. That is what some of the governors are doing.

“Another saddening aspect of this game is that these governors who want to dictate to Mr. President on party leadership at the national level are like emperors in their states. They cannot tolerate a second opinion in their domain.

“Ironically, these are the same people who want to come to the national level to determine what happens here.

“The President has nothing against Tukur; he has not done anything to warrant being removed as chairman. If you want to remove somebody, there must be a reason. In this particular case, there are no reasons. Or have they stated their reasons?”

Only last Monday, The PUNCH reported that Tukur courted fresh trouble with the governors with a declaration that the party was planning fresh primaries for the South-West.

The plan was ostensibly to select a replacement for Oyinlola.

Investigations showed that the governors viewed the proposed congress as illegal since the national secretary, like other national officers of the PDP, was not a product of a zonal congress.

The NWC member, who spoke with one of our correspondents, said, “You will recall that Oyinlola was elected at the national convention held in March last year, just like Tukur . You will recall also that it was Sheu Babayo that emerged as the choice of the North-East but at the national convention, Tukur was elected.

“You will remember that although other candidates stepped down for Oyinlola, votes were cast. In the same way votes were cast for Tukur. If the national chairman wants a replacement for Oyinlola and even for the sacked national auditor, Bode Mustapha, he should be bold enough to convene a national convention.”

It was also gathered that the governors are miffed that Tukur had not made any reference to the stay of execution order granted on June 25, 2012 by the Court of Appeal in Lagos on the post of national secretary of the PDP.

Our correspondents learnt that the governors were angry that the national chairman ignored the stay of execution order and hurriedly sacked Oyinlola and Mustapha.

A source close to one of the governors said, “He (Tukur) is portraying the PDP as a party that has no regard for the rule of law because we don’t understand why he should obey a Federal High Court and tactically avoid the order of the Court of Appeal. ”

It was gathered that because of its impact on the party, the South-West crisis would top the agenda of the next meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum.

Since his assumption of office, Tukur has not received the full cooperation of the governors. His interference in the running of the party in his home state of Adamawa, is one of the issues being raised against him by the governors.

The governors also believe that he is running a one-man show.

Responding to enquiries from one of our correspondents, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, on Friday accused the party’s detractors of peddling rumours about a non-existent plan to replace the chairman.

He explained that the chairman had given a good account of himself at the helm of affairs and as such insinuations that the party was planing to replace him were unfounded.

Metuh said, “There is no such plan (to replace Tukur) These are machinations and rumours by the enemy.

“The national chairman of is in charge of the party, he is working well and he has mapped out programmes that will enable PDP to stabilise and win elections. He has no problem, we do not want to start replying such rumours because we know they are a creation of enemies of progress. The party is intact and Bamanga Tukur is working well.”

Also speaking, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Dr. Ahmed Gulak, on Friday said there was no truth in the report that Jonathan had dumped Tukur.

Gulak, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said the President was solidly behind the party chairman.

He said, “The report that the President is planning to dump Tukur is not true. It is a lie.

“The President is the leader of the party while Tukur is the national chairman of the party. The President is solidly behind Tukur. Anybody who does not like Tukur, does not like the President.”