All the 23 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have agreed that the embattled National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has to step aside for peace to reign in the party.
Saturday Tribune gathered through authoritative sources in both factions of the PDP that the decision on having Tukur leave the reins of the party had been mutually agreed on by governors on both sides.
Two governors from both factions confirmed the decision to Saturday Tribune on Friday but asked not to be named.
Tukur’s fate may be sealed at tomorrow’s meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and governors of the Abubakar Baraje led faction at the presidential villa, Abuja.
According to the sources, President Jonathan’s inner caucus of friends had also impressed it on him “to let go” of Tukur in view of the “needless tension his actions and inactions were causing him and the polity
“He was told the plain truth that he needed a break from the tension in the polity generated by the crisis in his party. In particular, it was impressed on him that Tukur’s leadership of the party was doing more harm to the administration than good and he should hands off the issue of keeping Tukur at the helms of the PDP.
“From the body language of the president, he appeared to have agreed with the governors. Sunday’s meeting with the rebel governors is likely to advance that course of action. The question now is just when Tukur would go,” the source added.
It was also gathered that some of the governors loyal to the president have told him to “look beyond the fact that Tukur’s wife is an Ijaw from Bayelsa State” and consider the larger interest of the nation, the party and his own 2015 re-election plans.
“Indeed, I can tell you that members of the president’s kitchen cabinet have commenced shopping for a replacement for Tukur with a number of accomplished politicians from the North-Eastern part of the country being considered. Some other stakeholders are also involved in the search for the new chairman that would be acceptable to all sides in the crisis,” the source said.
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Source: Tribune
