How Jonathan Saved Tukur From Disgrace At NEC Meeting

For about 10 minutes yesterday, President Goodluck Jonathan was pleading with angry National Executive Committee (NEC) members not to sack Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) National Chairman Bamanga Tukur.

But the President’s plea did not prevent state chairmen and disenchanted G-84 members from revolting against Tukur.

Tukur, going by NEC members’ agreement may leave office during the first NEC meeting after the mini-National Convention on July 15.

According to a source, who attended the NEC meeting – the first in about a year – most of the state chairmen condemned Tukur’s style and listed all his infractions, especially disrespect for the party’s constitution. They thereafter demanded his removal, it was learnt.

When tempers rose, Dr. Jonathan intervened by acknowledging all the observations made by the aggrieved NEC members.

But the President pleaded with NEC not to remove Tukur at the session because of the fear of the media backlash, which might create the impression that the party is in a deeper crisis.

The source quoted the President as saying: “Tukur has come to beg me. I have assured him that I will intervene at the NEC meeting on his behalf. Please, do not let him go today.

“Before you know it, the media will be saying ‘Jonathan has dumped Tukur’; ‘PDP is on fire’ and so on.”

“The President admitted that Tukur has not sustained the legacies left behind by some past national chairmen of the party, but he said: ‘Do not remove him today, please.”

Following the President’s plea, members agreed to embrace peace, with a “caveat” that Tukur must go after the mini-National Convention on July 15.

Another top source said: “We respected the President but there is no way Tukur can last beyond the first NEC meeting after the mini-National Convention of the party in July.

“That is the determination of NEC. What we did was to postpone his exit date till the NEC meeting after the mini-National Convention. So, we agreed that he should go after the convention when we will be confronted with the task of leading the party to victory in 2015 and how to reunite all groups having issues with PDP leadership.”

Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio was said to have presented a speech in defence of Tukur. NEC members “actually resented” how he was just “talking and talking”, the source said.

But, unlike Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu set the tone for the meeting by thanking the NWC members who quit, following the rejection of their election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for “serving the party and having sense in resigning in the interest of the party”. “This is a good development,” he was quoted as saying.

The highpoint on the four-point agenda NEC session was when a former Deputy President of the Senate, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu, moved a motion for members to “pass a vote of confidence on President Goodluck Jonathan for keeping to his transformation agenda and performing well”.

The motion was “unanimously adopted by the NEC, leaving the President smiling and obviously elated”.

On other issues, the source said: “The NEC considered the report of the INEC, which invalidated the election of eight NWC members and eight Deputy National Officers of the party.

“The consideration of the report led to the composition of the Steering Committee to manage the party till the mini-National Convention holds in July.”

Some members of the Steering Committee to replace the eight NWC members and eight Deputy National Officers that will face fresh election at the mini-national convention.

Some outgoing NWC members were allowed to choose those who will replace them in the Caretaker Committee.

The source said: “It was obvious also at the meeting that some of the affected NWC members will not be allowed to return, based on the peculiar nature of party politics in their states. For instance, the body language of the President and some of his loyalists showed that the Deputy National Chairman of the party, Dr. Sam Jaja, might not be returned at the mini-National Convention because of the crisis in Rivers State.

“Therefore, there is no automatic return ticket at the mini-National Convention for the NWC members that have resigned.”