PDP CRISIS: TUKUR WILL NOT BE SACKED SAYS JONATHAN

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday assured the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur that no amount of pressure mounted from any quarter whatsoever will make him lose his job. The PDP also dispelled the rumours that its chairman, Tukur has thrown in the towel as requested by the presidency.
In an almost two hour meeting with members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party at the Presidential Villa in Abuja yesterday, President Jonathan also assured the party leaders that the five governors who left the party in November will soon rejoin the party as discussion is still ongoing.
The meeting ended at about 8.30 pm. The governors elected on the platform of the PDP had on Sunday night agreed that Tukur must be relieved of his office for peace to be achieved in the party.
Fourteen governors including those of Abia, Ebonyi, Kogi, Kebbi, Bauchi, Enugu, Katsina, Cross Rivers, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Akwa Ibom, Kaduna and the deputy governor of Niger State, who attended the meeting of the PDP governors held at the Akwa Ibom Governor’s Lodge unanimously agreed to persuade the President to dispense with Tukur.
The meeting ended at about 9.30 pm and all the governors headed straight to the Presidential Villa to inform President Jonathan on the decision of the forum. Afterwards, the governors held a five-hour meeting with the President. The five aggrieved governors, who recently defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress, APC, were reported to have informed President Jonathan that they have no intention of returning to the PDP.
The G5 governors, who joined the APC are Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa, and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara. President Jonathan told the NWC members that on his return from South Africa, an enlarged meeting with the aggrieved members of the party will be convened so as to resolve all the contentious issues.
Confirming the meeting, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a telephone chat also said that the news that Tukur has resigned his appointment was a ruse and only another propaganda stunt by the opposition parties. He said: “There is no truth about that news. Our chairman has not resigned and will not resign0.
“Yes, the President had a meeting with the NWC and the issue of resignation of Tukur was not in the agenda of the meeting. “Yes, it is a known fact that the PDP has some challenges, but we are getting over it. I can tell you that all the governors that left will come back and many more will join the party.”
Source: National Mirror