A fresh political storm is gathering for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, as party leaders are fine-tuning moves to unseat him before or during the forthcoming special national convention.
Less than a month ago, Tukur dramatically survived a palace coup which swept off at least eight members of the party national executive, including its spokesman, Chief Olisa Metuh.
Top party sources told Pointblanknews.com that their latest problem with Tukur’s unilateral cancellation, on Monday, of the national convention already scheduled for August 31 by the Jerry Gana-led convention planning committee.
Also cancelled by Tukur was the South-west zonal congresses.
The cancellations were the anti-climax of the bitter feud between Tukur and Gana, which the party national chairman had earlier dismissed as the creation of the media.
Tukur’s cancellation of the national convention, Pointblanknews.com investigations revealed, may have become the last straw that might break the national chairman’s back.
“The national chairman, or anybody for that matter, has no powers to reverse the decision of a convention planning committee duly established by the National Executive Committee (NEC). “Once you set up a committee, such assumes a life of its own. You cannot wake up one day and upturn decisions taken by such committee, well unless you disband the committee.
In this case, the committee is very much alive, yet the national chairman has usurped its powers,” fumed a top party official.
Added a former national officer: “By unilaterally cancelling zonal congresses, the national chairman has confirmed our worry; the man simply doesn’t want any national convention to hold. He wants to run the party like a sole administrator. It won’t be in his interest to have a functional working committee. That is it!”
Pointblanknews.com further gathered that top party chieftains who failed to convince President Goodluck Jonathan allow Tukur sink during the recent mass resignation of party officers, have reopened Tukur’s matter.
“The man is too old. He has never held any party office. The best elected office he held was governor, and he was in office for just three months.
Tell me how such a man can manage PDP, the largest party in Africa?” One chieftain posed.
The situation, Pointblanknews.com also gathered, is not helped by Tukur’s war of attrition with chairman of his party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih.
The PDP national chairman had last month refuted media reports of mounting acrimony between him and Anenih. However, party sources told Pointblanknews.com that the battle for supremacy between both septuagenarians had actually assumed a dangerous dimension.
With Tukur’s war with Anenih, on the one hand, and Gana, on the other, party sources hinted that his days might as well be numbered.
Political associates and handlers of President Goodluck Jonathan have reportedly been advising that Tukur’s exit would swell the fortunes of PDP.
“In the history of Nigeria, Tukur is the first national chairman of a party to be so hated by all the members of his executive. Morale in PDP has never been this low. Mr. President has to make up his mind to either continue to back a clueless Tukur and lose 2015, or shop for a more dynamic chairman to take us to the next level,” offered a former national officer of the party.
Apparently to seek a way out of the political logjam, President Jonathan has invited Tukur and Gana to for a meeting.
PDP sources told Pointblanknews.com that the meeting may not achieve much, since, according to them, it is top party leaders from Tukur’s north east zone are pushing for his removal.
“Tukur has deceived whatever is left of the NWC into technically sacking a committee duly appointed by NEC. The last time I checked, NWC is an inferior party organ to NEC.
“What led to Audu Ogbeh’s removal as national chairman? Wasn’t it a mere letter to the then President Obasanjo? What Tukur did has brought PDP the greatest ridicule yet. He must go!” thundered the chieftain.