Bamanga Tukur Tears PDP Apart

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The quest by former governor of defunct Gongola State, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to become the National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has torn apart the party ahead of its national convention holding tomorrow in Abuja.

P.M.NEWS gathered that Tukur will be vying for the National Chairmanship of the PDP and his candidature enjoys the support of President Goodluck Jonathan. But Tukur is facing a herculean task in his bid for PDP’s topmost chair as former Acting National Secretary, Dr. Musa Babayo defeated him at his home base –the Northeast zonal congress by 14 votes to Tukur’s 2 votes.

Political pundits are of the view that Jonathan is throwing his weight behind Tukur to cement his second term bid and at the same time block the chances of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from contesting the 2015 presidency. Atiku and Tukur are from the Northeast geopolitical zone. And PDP cannot concede two top political offices to the same zone.

However, the PDP governors have risen stoutly against the candidature of Tukur because the governors do not want Jonathan back in Aso Rock in 2015. The battle line has been drawn between Jonathan and the governors who initially pretended to be in support of the president and his candidate.

It was therefore easy for Babayo to emerge the candidate of the Northeast having defeated Tukur and other contestants because he enjoys the support of the governors.

Reacting to the outcome of the Northeast zonal congress, Tukur and other chairmanship candidates condemned the zonal contest which they described as a charade, unconstitutional and an imposition of a favoured candidate.

At the end of the meeting, aspirants from the zone, Adamu Bello, Ibrahim Birma, Gamba Lawan, Bamanga Tukur, Adamu Muazu, Shetima Mustapha and Dr. Abba Aji, rejected Babayo as the consensus candidate of the Northeast.

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The aspirants argued that only 22 delegates voted at the zonal level as against voters expected to elect officers at the national congress in Abuja tomorrow.

P.M.NEWS learnt from sources in Abuja that intrigues and political horse trading have continued to presage the PDP congress as Jonathan has continued to drum up support for Tukur.

Worried by Tukur’s defeat at the Northeast zonal contest in Bauchi, the President is today reportedly meeting with PDP governors at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa to solicit for fresh support for his candidate.

Our sources confirmed that Jonathan held an all-night meeting with PDP zonal leaders in Abuja yesterday, to fine-tune his strategy to ensure Tukur clinches the party’s chairmanship seat.

It was gathered that Jonathan was working hard on the governors, party zonal leaders and others to make sure Tukur emerges as the consensus candidate for the National Chairmanship of the PDP.

The President and Tukur’s campaign group believe that the zonal congress held in Bauchi that produced Babayo cannot affect Tukur’s chances of emerging the consensus candidate in tomorrow’s congress.

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