Alhaji Bamanga Tukur
EMBATTLED National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has denied widespread speculations that he has resigned from his position.
Though believed to be presiding over a deeply divided National Working Committee of the party, Tukur insisted that he remained the national chairman of the PDP.
A statement signed by his Senior Media Assistant on Media, Mr. Oliver Okpala, said his boss had not tendered any resignation letter to anyone.
The statement read, “Be informed that contrary to the report making waves in the internet and other social media, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has not tendered any resignation letter to any person or quarter as the National Chairman of the Party.
“Please disregard any information or report in this regard since the National Chairman is busy fashioning out new structures and areas of taking the party to greater heights.”.
In a related development, the Presidency on Tuesday said it was convinced that Tukur was misquoted when he was reported as saying that not even President Goodluck Jonathan could sack him.
It also described claims that the President asked Tukur to resign as the figment of the imagination of opposition elements within and outside the party.
Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Mr. Ahmed Gulak, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents.
Gulak said, “I am sure the chairman was quoted out of context. He has even issued an official statement under his signature that he was quoted out of context.
“The fact is that, Alhaji Tukur was elected by the party at the national convention. He knows that it is the people that have the mandate. He recognises all the organs of the party and knows that the people can also withdraw any mandate given anybody. So he was quoted out of context.
“It is not true that Tukur has resigned. The President has not asked him to resign. The reports are not correct. The President is the leader of the party and the party is handling the matter maturely. All the reports you read and hear are the imaginations of oppositions, both within and outside the party.”
Meanwhile, Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako said current happenings within the PDP had vindicated the five governors who recently defected from the party.
Nyako was reacting to comments credited to Tukur to the effect that he could only be removed through a properly constituted national convention.
The governor, who spoke through his Director, Press and Public Affairs, Ahmad Sajoh, in a telephone interview, said it had become clearer that Tukur was the problem of the party.
Nyako said, “He (Tukur) should remember that when we complained about the way he was running the party, he said we were the problem.
“Now, we have left, why is he still having problems? We are asking the Peoples Democratic Party as a party to consider very seriously that they have problems and they must address their problems.
“The last time they did certain changes, removed some people they didn’t like and returned those they like.”