Year of turbulent leadership in PDP

Tukur

OLUSOLA FABIYI, in this report examines Dr. Bamanga Tukur’s one year in office as the National Chairman of the ruling  Peoples Democratic Party

About three decades ago, Dr. Bamanga Tukur held sway as Executive Governor of old Gongola State on the platform of the then ruling National Party of Nigeria. His reign came to an abrupt end following a coup d’état. A young air force officer then, Air Commodore Jonah Jang, took over from him. Tukur, like most of his contemporaries retired to private life. Unknown to many, he had tried almost in vein to return to politics.

During the ill-fated Third Republic, Tukur was among those who tried but failed to become president. He was a member of the now defunct National Republican Convention. But all those who dreamt of becoming President, including the candidate for the also proscribed Social Democratic Party, the late Chief MKO Abiola, saw their ambition dashed through the unwillingness of General Ibrahim Babangida to relinquish power as head of state.

Now that Tukur is back in the limelight as the chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, he is battling to save his job.  Hawks within his party are bent on sending him on another sabbatical from the political scene. Tukur’s traducers are those who like him, are taking cover under his party’s umbrella.

The story of his coming to power gave early signs of a turbulent tenure ahead. When the party zoned the office to the  North-East where he comes from,  many aspired to occupy the coveted seat. Many of the aspirants sought the cooperation of the governors and they appeared to have had it. Tukur, was however not one of them. Though he went round the states, the governors, especially those from his zone, were not ready to support him. Rather, they anointed Dr. Babayo Shehu as their candidate. Rattled, Tukur ran to his backer, President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa. The President promptly summoned the ‘recalcitrant’ governors, chief among whom was the Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako(retd.). Also in attendance were the governors of Bauchi, Isa Yuguda; Gombe, Ibrahim Damkwambo, and Taraba, Danbaba Suntai. The Political Adviser to the President, Mr. Ahmed Gulak was also in attendance. It was a horrid meeting, but at the end, Nyako announced that he and his colleagues would defer to the President. He said, “Mr. President is the leader of the party in the country. I am the leader of the party in my state. And when it comes to the question of top leadership in my state, definitely I should consider certain things. The question is: Who does the President want? Whoever the President wants, we should support. Just like in my state, they should concede to me who I should like to see in the leadership of the party. The person should be somebody who is electable, marketable, somebody who the voters can vote for in the primary.”

Nyako’s comments and the unwillingness of many of his colleagues to allow Tukur to ascend the throne as PDP chairman, was an indication that the former managing director of Nigeria Port Authority might not have a smooth ride. Though other favoured chairmanship aspirants were pressurised to step down for him at the Eagles Square on March 24, 2012, his “victory”was not celebrated. President Jonathan that spearheaded Tukur’s campaign and the motley crowd that accompanied him to the podium, including other members of the National Working Committee where he  gave his acceptance speech, were equally less enthusiastic. The President nevertheless managed to smile.

Others elected along with Tukur on that day were Sam Jaja (deputy national chairman), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (National Secretary), Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha (national organising secretary), Kema Chikwe (Woman Leader) and Bode Mustapha (National Auditor). Others were Victor Kwon (national legal adviser), Umar Chiza (national youth leader) and Olisa Metuh (national publicity secretary).

Also “elected”were Deputy Woman Leader, Hannatu Ullam; Deputy Organising Secretary, Okey Nnaedozie; Treasurer, Bala Kaoje; Assistant Lega Adviser, Mohammed Magaji; and Financial Secretary, Bolaji Anani; Deputy Publicity Secretary, Binta Kwoji; Deputy National Auditor, Umar Ibrahim and the Deputy National Auditor, Claudius Emengesi.

But hardly were the 12 NWC members  inaugurated than cracks began to manifest in the party. Oyinlola, in a memo dated June 8, 2012, titled “Illegal Acts Prejudicial to the Interest of the PDP” with reference number PDP NS 03/12 accused the aides of Tukur of engaging in acts that were detrimental  to the interest of the party. He also accused them of usurping the powers of the national secretary. He specifically accused the Chief of Staff to Tukur, Alhaji Habu Fari, of putting the party and its governors on a collision course.

Before Oyinlola wrote the letter, the NWC at its meeting two days earlier, had rejected a memo from Tukur, in which he was calling for the reshuffling of the party’s directors. His request was refused. Also rejected was another memo from the national chairman in which he called for the establishment of more committees that would ensure smooth and effective working of the party. It was gathered that the NWC members were not happy over the setting up of a 50-man advisory committee headed by a former Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, by Tukur without recourse to the NWC members. At the end of the day, the NWC asked Tukur to sack Fari. He complied.  These actions served as manure for the existing seed of discord and mutual suspicion between  Tukur and members of his team.

If Tukur was  pained by the actions of the NWC members, he did a good job of concealing it. An opportunity to revenge presented itself when on January 11, 2013, a Federal High Court in Abuja nullified the South-West congress of the party, which produced  Oyinlola as candidate for the post. Tukur acted swiftly by swearing-in Oyinlola’s deputy, Solomon Onwe, as his replacement in acting capacity. In a statement he personally signed, Tukur said he took the decision based on provisions of the party’s constitution.

Before the decision was taken, Tukur had stormed the NWC meeting, where the decision on Oyinlola was discussed with a team of lawyers, led by Mr. Joe Gadzama(SAN). It was not clear why Tukur decided to engage a private lawyer, when the party has a national legal adviser. Gadzama is from Adamawa State, where the chairman hails from, Tukur  must have been delighted that he was dealing with one of his enemies. Another opportunity for him to roar came almost a month later, when he removed others considered loyalists of former President Olusegun Obasanjo from the party. In swift move, he sacked Chief Bode Mustapha and the National Vice-Chairman (South-West), Mr. Segun Oni. A statement by Metuh, said the party took the decision following a series of litigations on the congress that brought them into office.

Now, Tukur is like the proverbial man who swallowed mortal but is now finding it difficult to sleep. The governors of the party are angry with him, a  majority  of the NWC members are pretending to be with him. His decision to remove Oyinlola  is seriously being used against him. Apart from being Obasanjo’s candidate, the governors had insisted that Oyinlola must be the party’s secretary as a precondition for their support for his leadership. The sacking of the former governor of Osun State could also be one of the reasons a majority of the governors gave  Tukur and members of his entourage a cold shoulder during the just concluded zonal reconciliation tour. Instead of welcoming him, the governors either travelled outside their states or even remained without minding that their chairman was in their states. But Tukur says he is ready to organise fresh congress that would produce Oyinlola’s replacement, even when he (Oyinlola) is in court contesting his removal. “The caretaker committee which is currently in place in the zone, will hold fresh congress where a new secretary will be elected,” he vowed. The party’s constitution is however at variance with Tukur’s position as Chapter V11, which deals with mode of election of officers of the party, stipulates that all national officers of the party must be elected at the national convention.

The fear of being sacked has made Tukur and his team not to call a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee since July 2012. His refusal to call NEC meeting, which is against Part V111, of the party’s constitution, is also fuelling the anger of the governors. The governors had at their meeting on January 9, 2013 “resolved to call for National Executive Committee meetings of the party to be held as and when due as provided in PDP constitution.” Twenty-one governors were in attendance where the demand was made.

It remains to be seen how far the Tukur-led NWC can continue to trample upon the party’s constitution. One thing is sure, Tukur never wished for a troubled tenure. He remains confident that he enjoys the governor’s unwavering support. He said, “They call me, all the governors. All the governors believe in me. We work very cordially. They are our commanders, mind you the chairman heads the PDP, but a governor is his own commander in the state,” He may need to work harder to quell the growing mutiny in the party, especially among those he refers to as his commanders.