Sources in the party told the Nigerian Tribune that no fewer than seven aspirants had, so far, emerged in the race.
It was gathered that the lobbyists and their supporters kicked off their campaign immediately it became clear that Tukur was going.
Sources confirmed that apart from the trio of the Transport Minister, Senator Idris Umar, former governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Adamu Mua’zu and a former member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Wakili Waziri, others, who had so far joined the race, included a former aspirant during the 2012 convention and former Minister of Agriculture, Dr Shettima Mustapha; Alhaji Hassan Adamu and another former aspirant in the 2012 race, Alhaji Musa Babayo.
Sources, however, said though the position was zoned to the North-East, former acting national chairman, Dr Haliru Bello Mohammed from Kebbi State, was still a force in the race.
According to the source, the former acting national chairman had been playing some roles lately, adding that those roles could be for strategic purpose.
It was gathered that the aspirants had started making strategic visits to the homes of National Executive Committtee (NEC) members as well as other stakeholders, ahead of the emergence of an acting chairman at the resumed NEC meeting on Monday.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan, in a dramatic manner on Thursday, announced that Alhaji Tukur had agreed to set aside as the national chairman of PDP, as a sacrifice to end the crisis rocking the party.
The president also assured that most of the defected members of the party would return to the fold at the end of the ongoing reconciliation exercise in the party nationwide.
The president disclosed this in Abuja, at the 63rd NEC meeting of the party, summoned to find a lasting solution to the crisis rocking it.
He said there was nothing new in people defecting from one party to another, advising that much attention should not be given to it.
The president, however, assured that a new national chairman of the party would emerge from the North-East, from where Tukur hails, when the NEC would reconvene on Monday, after due consultations among the various organs and leaders of the party.
President Jonathan, who urged party members to be steadfast, assured that the defectors would come back to the party, while stressing the need for the party to organise more national caucus and Board of Trustees (BoT) meetings, ahead the 2015 elections.
“On some of the issues that we have internally, because I wouldn’t want to waste too much of your time, myself and the chairman would leave you and the deputy chairman will coordinate, while the meeting will progress to discuss other things. Myself and the chairman will go to State House for some issues that we need to discuss.
“We have some internal problems that have been agitating the minds of people and let us really thank the working committee led by Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. They have done very well; the chairman of our party, we have all known, he didn’t just wake up to be chairman of our party, he has paid his dues.
“He had held several offices and worked for this country and he has done very well. For us to make sure that we rest these issues, the party chairman agreed to step aside,” the president said.
Jonathan, who described recent rumblings in the party as normal in a political season, said “Tukur is not guilty in any way. In fact, I have to give assignment that is tougher than PDP to him. Because we need people like Tukur to market this country and PDP, he has been doing that on the platform of African Roundtable, but he will get a tougher job than that.
“So, this is the letter from him announcing his stepping aside from office. We did not read it to the media, it is from the party chairman to the secretary of the party.
“Let us meet on Monday so that we will formally inaugurate a new chairman, according to our constitution. So between now and Monday, we will look at our party leaders from the North-East.”
On hopes that some members who defected to the party will return, he said “some of those people who appeared to want to leave us and have left, from all indications and discussions, some of them will come back to the party. All that we need to do is to ensure that the party is united.”
He, however, handed over the resignation letter of Alhaji Tukur, which was contained in a brown envelope to the national secretary of the party, Professor Wale Oladipo and called on the governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, to move a motion for the adoption of the resignation letter.
At exactly 2.10 p.m, Governor Imoke moved the motion for its adoption, while the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi, seconded the motion.
The president then put it to a voice vote, which was unanimously adopted by members, while he drove out of the venue of the meeting with Alhaji Tukur to the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, for another round of meeting.
Among those in attendance at the meeting were Vice President Namadi Sambo; Senate President, David Mark; Speaker; House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, BoT chairman, Tony Anenih; secretary, Walid Jubrin, Chief Bode George, Professor Jerry Gana, former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu and some former chairmen of the party, among others.
Beware of power struggle –Tukur
Alhaji Tukur has, therefore, warned the party to beware of power struggle amd focus on delivery of democratic dividends to the citizenry.
In an address before he stepped down as chairman, Tukur said “gloating over being in power and remaining in power no matter what is dangerous, destructive and anti-democratic.”
He said “we must remind ourselves that politics is the only sensible peaceful means mankind has devised to discipline and manage diverse, competing interests in society; while remaining focused on the improvement and transformation of their existential possibilities.
“A conscious effort, therefore, must be made to avoid self-inflicted difficulties, even as we remain focused on the promotion of cooperation, cohesion and inclusivity among social forces and group interests in our party and society.”
In what President Jonathan described as a brilliant speech, Tukur noted further that “if our party must continue to serve as a viable vehicle for the interests of our people, the hierarchies of the institution must imbibe and promote processes and practices that enhance good governance; both within and outside of government.”
Source: Tribune
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