•First Lady’s responds to THISDAY’s story
The contentious National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Thursday remained resolute over holding on to the reins of leadership of the party, stating that he would not resign because he had not done anything wrong to warrant his resignation or sack.
He also blamed the crisis in the party on members whom he said want to become president at all cost.
Tukur spoke yesterday when he granted audience to a team of PDP youths from 19 northern states led by Mr. Galadima Yahaya, paid him a solidarity visit at his Wuse II residence in Abuja.
Despite his tough stance, the embattled party chairman later reached out to the PDP governors who have been pushing for his ouster.
The governors were in Abuja yesterday to hold a series of meetings aimed at resolving the crisis in the party, which has been weakened considerably by the defection of five of its erstwhile governors last month to the All Progressive Congress (APC) and 37 members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
They met with President Goodluck Jonathan, Tukur and members of the House of Representatives, respectively, in three consecutive meetings.
Tukur, while receiving the youth delegation, said: “I have a job to do as the PDP chairman, and I cannot throw in the towel in the middle of it just because certain individuals known for selfish motives get to the media to fund fictitious reports often crafted to precipitate crises in our party and ultimately cause its fall.”
He also dismissed reports that an ambassadorial posting was in the offing for him as a soft landing in the event of his sack.
Tukur informed the PDP youth members that the crisis within the party was a phase, which he believes would pass away once preparations for 2015 elections begin.
“The crises we are witnessing in PDP are about 2015. The promoters are members who wanted to be president at all cost, they are those who wanted to be vice-president at all cost and those who wanted to seek re-election as governors. Most of them feel if there were no crisis, their ambitions would not be fulfilled.
“If you check it very well, the people who say Tukur must go cannot give one reason to justify their wishes. I did nothing to violate the constitution of the party. I did nothing to wrong anyone. I did nothing to soil my hands in anything. My conscience vindicates me every time. So I am free as the PDP national chairman.
“Now some people said I am not a friend of the governors. But they forgot that during my campaign, I visited all of them one by one to sell my programmes for the party. We started with the process of reconciliation and asked estranged members to return to the party. Some people opposed it,” he said.
The national chairman also maintained that there was no iota of truth in the reports about the crisis in the party, saying the report that some governors had recommended an ambassadorial posting for him was a figment of the imagination of the authors.
“The presidency has never contemplated sending me out of the country as an ambassador under any guise,” he said.
Hours after vowing not to quit the chairmanship of the ruling party, Tukur met with the governors of the party at the Akwa Ibom State Governor's Lodge, Abuja.
Tukur, it was gathered, had earlier had another meeting with the president at the State House.
It was after the meeting with the president that he proceeded to the meeting with the governors.
The party chair left the venue of the meeting at 8.40 pm for another one with PDP members of the National Assembly at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
Shortly after the meeting with the governors, Tukur and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) also held a crucial meeting with its members in the House of Representatives.
In his opening remarks at the meeting with the lawmakers, before going into a closed-door session, Tukur said that the purpose of meeting with the members of the House was to discuss as a family on the way forward in the party.
Moderating the meeting, which had in attendance members of the National NWC, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, Deputy Speaker, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha and several other members, the House Leader, Mulikat Akande said that the meeting was at the instance of the House.
She added that the meeting was meant to create a synergy between the House and the leadership of the party.
As the meeting with the members was ongoing, five PDP governors stormed the venue to lend their support to the issues being discussed.
The governors were Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina) and Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa).
Meanwhile, the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan has said that she at no time threatened PDP governors to rescind their position on Tukur’s removal as the chairman of the party.
The denial by the first lady was contained in a statement issued yesterday by her Director of Information, Mrs. A.O. Adesugba.
According to the statement, "The article makes reference to an unnamed source which purports that the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, met with some governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), urging them to support Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the PDP National Chairman, so that he retains his position.
“According to the article, Dame Jonathan discussed with the Kogi State Governor, Capt. Idris Wada, the Akwa Ibom Governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, and the Abia State Governor, Dr. Theodore Orji.
“We would like to urge members of the Forth Estate of the Realm to be more mature in reporting and adhere to the basic ethics of journalism by being fair, factual and balanced.
“The article made reference to a vague source with no name. No reporter approached the first lady or her office for comments or at least to ascertain the veracity of the story. In that respect the story was not balanced.”
The first lady, in the statement, said the language used in the report was not fair, saying it should draw consternation from all well meaning individuals as being uncharitable.
“Words like ‘haranguing the party's governors’ and ‘Threatens PDP Governors’ are not only untrue but capable of causing disaffection and portraying the first lady in a bad light.
“We wish to restate that the first lady, like any other Nigerian is guaranteed the freedom of expression and freedom of association as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. The First Lady has always exercised this basic right maturely and patriotically by advocating peace, tolerance and dialogue as demonstrated in all her public speeches and statements.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it must be stated clearly that the first lady has never harangued or threatened anyone, needless to say, serving governors.
“Nobody should, under any guise, use the name of the first lady to cause division or discord in the nation as she has committed herself to fasting and praying for the peace and unity of Nigeria. The first lady will continue fasting until we achieve unity and peace in our fatherland.
“Last Tuesday, 17th December, 2013, Dame Patience led a National Women Fasting and prayer for peace and unity in Nigeria at an event in Abuja. Christian and Moslem women came together as agents of peace carrying olive branches and beseeching the Lord to uphold the peace and unity of Nigeria; peace in all the political parties; peace in the National Assembly and peace in the presidency, as only peace and unity can move our nation, Nigeria forward,” she said.
She urged Nigerians to look for those things that unite them as a people and shun things that divide them or cause disaffection among them.
“As journalists, let us write stories adhering strictly to good journalistic ethics. We owe our nation this by not lending hands to those promoting mischief and disaffection,” she added.
THISDAY, yesterday, published a story revealing the first lady’s efforts to compel the governors through threats to change their stance on Tukur’s sack.
Source: Thisday
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