Goodluck Jonathan Cannot Remove Me..Tukur

 The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has said the only way he can be removed from office is through a properly conducted national convention of the party and until that takes place, no one, not even President Goodluck Jonathan can remove him.

The PDP chairman also dismissed the allegation that he has been asked to resign by the president, accusing the opposition of planting the story to create disharmony in the party.

However, Tukur’s statement contradicts other instances in which past chairmen of the party such as Vincent Ogbulafor and Audu Ogbe were removed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party and not at national conventions.

His defiance also belied the noose tightening around his neck, as some members of the National Working Committee (NWC) yesterday abstained from an emergency meeting which he summoned.

Commenting on the move to oust him yesterday, Tukur said: “I am an elected national chairman, I have my certificate of return, I cannot resign. The convention brought me, so it has to take the convention that brought me for me to resign.

“Not even the president can ask me to resign. Remember, some members of the NWC were asked to go recently because the election that brought them was flawed, so Mr. President cannot tread that route again.”

He maintained that there was no basis for him to resign as no one had successfully proved any allegation of wrong doing against him.

Despite Tukur’s obstinate stance, the leadership crisis rocking the PDP assumed a new twist yesterday when some members of the NWC boycotted an emergency meeting of the party summoned by the embattled chairman.

Tukur, it was gathered, had summoned the emergency meeting to enable the executive organ discuss the challenges confronting the party, especially the outcome of the Thursday night’s meeting with the president, where members of the NWC passed a vote of no confidence on the chairman.

The time of the NWC meeting was scheduled for 12 noon and by 11.45 am, Tukur was already seated awaiting the arrival of other members of the NWC.

However, at 12.05 pm, except for those considered to be members of his kitchen cabinet, most members of the NWC had not joined Tukur at the meeting.

Those present were the National Secretary of the party, Prof. Adewale Oladipo; National Treasurer, Bala Buhari; and National Auditor, Adewale Adeyanju.

After waiting for over one hour, Tukur adjourned the meeting indefinitely owing to failure to form a quorum.

Shortly after his departure at 1.15 pm, other members of the NWC started arriving at the national secretariat of the party.

According to Section 12.62 of the PDP constitution, members of the NWC comprise the national chairman, Deputy National Chairman, Uche Secondus; National Treasurer, Alhaji Buhari Bala; National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh; National Organising Secretary, Abubakar Mustapha; National Financial Secretary, Bolaji Anani; National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon Yusuf; National Woman Leader Dr. Kema Chikwe; National Youth Leader, Alhaji Abdullahi Maibasira; and National Auditor, Adewale Adeyanju.

The constitution further stipulates that the quorum of the NWC shall be made up of two-thirds of the members drawn from at least two-thirds of the geopolitical zones in the country, while a simple majority shall pass any motion of the NWC.

When contacted one of the NWC members in his office and asked why he did not attend the meeting, he said: “We agreed that none of us should attend any meeting called by the national chairman, until he substantiates his allegation that we were bribed by a governor to speak out on the crisis affecting the party when we met with the president on Thursday night.”

He explained that it is not fair for the national chairman to blackmail his colleagues because of the crisis in the party, adding, “The president as the leader of PDP summoned a meeting where all of us were told to speak out as a way of finding a solution to the crisis rocking the party.

“We spoke as members and no one spoke on behalf of the other, so why would the national chairman blackmail us by claiming that we had received money to speak?

“This is not fair and we are not ready to attend any meeting until we meet at the NEC meeting on Thursday.”

The National Caucus meeting is slated for today (Tuesday), a meeting of the Board of Trustees (BoT) will hold tomorrow, while the NEC meeting will hold on Thursday.

Following Tukur’s defiance, it was gathered that the NEC, National Caucus and BoT are now left with two options on replacing Tukur, who Jonathan had directed should step down.

At press time, the options under consideration were to either allow Secondus to act pending the March 2014 mid-term national convention or allow the NEC, which is the second highest decision making body of the PDP, to appoint an acting national chairman as it did in the case of Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and then allow the national convention to elect the national chairman.