Tukur quits as PDP chairman

After months of political  horse- trading,  Dr. Bamanga Tukur,  on Wednesday  finally bowed   to pressures on him to resign as the National Chairman of the ruling  Peoples Democratic Party.

Before an  authoritative source in Abuja made this known to The PUNCH  at about 11.51pm, there had been confusion on   whether he had indeed quit or not.

Tukur himself accentuated the confusion when he told State House correspondents minutes before the PDP  Board of Trustees met in the Presidential Villa, that he had not resigned.

“If I resign, you will know. I am not somebody that will resign and you will not know. I have not resigned.”

But a BoT member, who declined to be named, told one of our correspondents that the PDP had already accepted his resignation.

“Yes, it is true that he has resigned and the party has accepted his resignation ,” he said  after the meeting.

He explained that the National Executive Committee of the party would announce Tukur’s resignation during its meeting which would  commence at noon  on Thursday(today).

The source added that the  decision by the leadership of the PDP and the Presidency to  keep  Tukur’s resignation  under wraps was  to  prevent  a leadership vacuum in the party.

“We couldn’t make it public now since we have not appointed his successor. We would announce his resignation after  our  NEC meeting tomorrow(today) . But I can tell you authoritatively that he has resigned.”

Tukur had amid  speculations that  he had   turned in his resignation letter to the President  before noon on  Wednesday,   arrived the Presidential Villa, Abuja for the BOT  meeting which started  at about 7.55pm.

He wore a flowing  brown  guinea brocade.

Although he was absent from the reconvened national caucus meeting in the Villa, he attended the Armed Forces Remembrance Day’s laying of wreath at the National Arcade, Abuja.

Before  these,  his media aide, Mr. Oliver Okpala, said in a text message to  one of our correspondents,  that his boss had yet to resign.

Okpala said, “Be informed that the national chairman has not resigned. It is all speculation.

“The national chairman will be at the BOT meeting at night today (Wednesday)  and will also attend the NEC of the party tomorrow (today).”

Tukur  was however absent at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday when the other members of the NWC met.

The  Chairman of the BOT, Chief Tony Anenih,  had told journalists  after the meeting  that Tukur  attended   as the national chairman  of the PDP and   that he believed he(Tukur) also left in the same capacity.

“He (Tukur) attended the meeting as the national chairman. We all left together. I believe he left as national chairman,” Anenih claimed.

When asked about the major decisions taken at the meeting, he  said they were meant for only BOT members and  not  journalists.

Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State said Tukur’s  fate was a decision the party would take at its own time.

PUNCH