Why Bamanga Tukur Must Go Now

Opposition against Bamanga Tukur’s continuous stay as PDP national chairman has increased. With the NEC of the party holding next week, many doubt if Tukur will survive.It used to be the President insisting on having a change in the leadership of the Peoples democratic Party (PDP).
So it was with Chief Solomon Lar, Barnabas Gemade, Audu Ogbeh, and Vincent Ogbulafor. But in the current dispensation, the table it seems has turned.
While majority of party stakeholders want the PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga tukuru to go, the presidency seems more disposed towards retaining him. And that so far has been Tukur’s only staying power.
The meeting of the National Execuitve committee (NEC) of the PDP has been slated for the Wednesday, January 8, while both the caucus and Board of Trustees (BOT) of the party are scheduled to meet earlier on Monday January 6 and Tuesday, 7th, respectively.
Though the meetings are said to have been called in order to save the party from losing prominent members especially senators who are billed to defect when the Senate resumes on the 14th, a major issue to be tabled which some insist in fundamental to resolving the current crisis in the PDP would most likely be whether to allow the PDP national chairman continue in office.
The PDP national chairman has however said the issue of whether he should stay in office or not is not on the agenda of the Wednesday meeting, but this is to be doubted. Many say his claim does not seem plausible in the face of the opposition to his chairmanship.
How it started
Tukur’s emergence as national chairman of the PDP like his predecessors, became possible through the support by the leader of the party. Coming to the saddle with a rich political and administrative experience, many saw in Tukur, the firmness that was lacking in leadership styles of the previous chairmen of the party.
But he soon ran into troubled waters with major stakeholders in the party, comprising mainly the PDP governors, when he began having problems with his state governor, Murtala Nyako.
Two factions of the party had emerged in Tukur’s state of Adamawa due to disagreement over what many believe has more to do with how the PDP flag bearer for 2015 would emerge.
In no time, Tukur was able to get the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to sack the Umar Kaugama Mijinyawa faction which had the support of Nyako and to recognize only the Joel Madaki faction made up of his supporters.
When Nyako ran to his colleagues in the governors forum led by Rivers governor, Rotimi Amaechi, his colleagues rallied round him to make sure he retains control of the party in his state.
This was happening at a time when the memories of what happened in Bayelsa State, where the presidency was able to checkmate  a sitting governor was fresh on the minds of the PDP governors. This coupled with the reminders of how former President Olusgeun Obasanjo had succeeded in removing governors that did not act according to his wishes during his time made the governors to feel insecure and resolved do something about it.
In no time, some members of the NWC led by the PDP secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, himself a former governor,  met and reversed the earlier decision taken by the committee on the matter and sacked the Tukur faction while recognizing the Nyako faction.
President Jonathan who later met with Ameachi and few other governors on the matter set up a presidential committee to resolve the Adamawa issue with Sule Lamido of Jiagawa State as chairman.
But the issue dragged even with the submission of a report by the Lamido committee as the Tukur faction went head and held a fresh congress as demanded by INEC and set up structures across the LGs in the state refusing to recognize the Mijinyawa faction.
Soon the crisis in Rivers State also boiled over and the Godspower Akeh led executive committee of the party loyal to Governor  Amaechi was sacked by the courts and replaced with the Felix Obuah faction known to be supporters of the minister of education, Nyesom Wike who is suspected to be nursing an ambition to be governor of Rivers State. The governor, to add salt to the injury was suspended by the party.
Governor of Jigawa State, also began to have his activities investigated when his name was being touted as one of those likely to run for the PDP presidential ticket and that he had the support of Obasanjo. The arrest of close members of his family gave credence to the suspicion and in no time he too began to side with those opposed to the president.
Under Tukur also, the Sokoto State governor, Magatakarda Wamakko was also suspended. The party later found out that action would be counter -productive and later reversed itself. But by then Wamakko had got the message, that he is under watch and that the party was only looking for the right reasons to hurt him and he quickly adjusted his position.
Rabiu Musa kwankwaso of Kano was also silently groaning under the same fate with the Adamawa governor, as there were moves to undermine his control of the party and he quickly chose to be on the offensive while Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger also joined the ranks of the PDP governors that had issues with the party chairman.
Stepping on toes of other stakeholders
Former vice president Atiku Abubakar also complained that the PDP has not been according him his due respect as a former vice president elected on the platform of the party. He later wrote the PDP chairman to intimate him of his feelings but later said nothing was done to reassure him. Not done with that, the party also stepped on Obasanjo’s toes when his men in the party began to lose favour and Olagunsoye Oyinloa was removed from his position as national secretary of the party with the PDP seemingly excited to implement the court order.
Why the opposition continued
These supplied the grounds for the blossoming of the opposition towards Tukur and by extension Jonathan by key stakeholders of the party who took every step to register their grievances first by meeting with respected elders of the party.
The opportunity however came for them to hit at the party and its leaders during the special convention of the party as they chose to break way to form a new PDP.
Even with that crack,   the party still dilly dallied and could not manage crisis and at the end  of the day, five of the governors left for the APC and were later followed by 37 House of Representatives  members of the party.
But in all these many were surprised that the party did not play any, major role in containing the situation. Rather it was the president, some elders and the BOT that were holding meetings with the aggrieved governors.
The disenchantment with the Tukur led leadership continued even after the convention as many were of the view that his style of leadership only adds to the problem.
While many had thought that the issue would die down with the exit of the five governors from the PDP, the demand for the sack of Tukur received more fuel with even otherwise core supporters of Jonathan like the Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio later began to make the demand.
As the NEC meets on Monday, it is clear to party members that the PDP cannot go into a major election in the state it is now hence have stepped up the demand for his sack to pave way for someone with a more acceptable style that would recognize the right of party members in the running of the party.
Many say even with the support Tukur seems to be receiving from the presidency, it is not likely that he will hold on to the office if those opposed to his stay are able to convince the president that he is the problem with the party.
His main tactic so far has been to allege that Jonathan is the target for the demand and that after removing him they might go for the President’s jugular.
But it is obvious that many of the governors are not happy with Tukur and he is being accused of not convening NEC as at when due, executive high handedness and disregard for the party’s guidelines for constituting committees.
Though many of the stakeholders may not go against the President, but the need to protect the party from further defections may take preeminence over other considerations.