PDP LEADERSHIP CRISIS: Tukur survives National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday survived the bid by party stakeholders to remove him from office. This came as President Goodluck Jonathan, also yesterday, slammed plans by opposition parties to unite against the PDP. President Jonathan said the party was set to increase its number of governors. He spoke at a meeting of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party in Abuja, where Tukur survived intrigues mounted against his continued stay in office. From Right, President Goodluck Jonathan and PDP National Chairman Bamanga Tukur at 61th National Executive Committee of PDP held in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan. Eight national officers of the party, however, stepped down in accordance with recommendations of a report of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which said that they were irregularly elected. Besides them, all deputy national officers of the party also stepped down yesterday. A new set of acting national officers and deputy national officers were approved by the NEC to steer the affairs of the party pending a special mini-convention of the party slated for July 20 in Abuja. A convention planning committee to be headed by Professor Jerry Gana was also approved by the NEC. Also at yesterday’s NEC meeting, an endorsement of President Jonathan’s stewardship of the country was approved following a vote of confidence moved by Senator Ibrahim Mantu. Yesterday’s NEC meeting was attended by governors of Niger; Kogi, Delta, Kwara, Kaduna, Taraba, Sokoto, Kano, Kebbi, Gombe, Bauchi, Cross River; Plateau; Bayelsa; Akwa Ibom and Abia states and deputy governors of Jigawa and Katsina states. Governors Gabriel Suswam of Benue, Martins Elechi of Ebonyi, Sullivan Chime of Enugu, and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa were absent and did not send representatives to the meeting. President Jonathan in his opening remarks said Nigerians should commend the party for bringing stability to the polity. He especially noted that unlike in the past when the number of political parties increased as elections approach, he said that the reverse was now the case given plans by some opposition parties to unite against the PDP. “One good thing that Nigerians should commend PDP for now is that if you look at the evolution of political parties, it is now stable. Before, when elections approach, by now you will be hearing about new parties being formed and at a time, the ballot paper was becoming too long; INEC was finding a way of de-registering parties. “Because PDP has come on very strong, no matter the criticisms, they know that we are very strong and they realize that what they need to do is not forming new parties but parties coming together. So, we are helping stabilize the polity. We will encourage them to come together more. We want a situation where it is PDP versus one. In that case, the polity will be more stable. Even our members will be more loyal to the party because they will have nowhere to go. “All this time, immediately we disagreed in PDP, somebody is picking form in one PPP, DDD party and contesting election for the House of Assembly or House of Reps or Senate. When we have only two, before you get there, they have already occupied that place. So, even if we disagree, we will agree at the end of the day and it will even help to build a
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 06:02:51 +0000
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