Tukur dares PDP govs ... says he has no regrets over actions

BETWEEN the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bamangar Tukur, and governors on the platform of the party, the 'war' appears to have just started with Tukur telling the governors that he had no apology for his actions. Tukur's new confidence is said to be premised on the support of President Goodluck Jonathan whom the national chairman said was behind all the decisions he had taken, including the ones rankling the governors who were said to have insisted on their Tukur-Must-Go war. From London where the PDP chairman said he was attending to his health, he sent words home on Tuesday, saying he had no apology for those not comfortable with his style of  running of the ruling party. "We want every member to see the party as his or her own and as a party that bestows pride on all. Many people would not like such. In that case, I have no apology for doing good to PDP," he said in a statement. Tukur said he had not done anything to warrant any conspiracy against him and that he had the backing of Jonathan in every step he had taken as chairman of the party. He said, "I appreciate Mr. President who has been a major pillar of support for the PDP. The President had endorsed every action we took with conviction that they were all in the good interest of the PDP. The governors have been supportive too. We have been in touch and they keep on assuring me of their support. "While I take care of my health, I urge party members to continue to support NWC in its drive towards re-launching PDP into a more formidable structure capable of winning and winning elections without stress".  Meanwhile, feelers from the meeting of Jonathan and the PDP 's Board of Trustees chairman, Tony Anenih, in the Villa on Tuesday indicated that the President might have also vowed to save Tukur's job at all costs. Though neither Anenih nor Jonathan spoke to journalists after the behind-the scene meeting, The PUNCH learnt that the duo discussed the outcome of Anenih's peace tour to PDP states where he held consultations with the governors to broker peace between them and the party's national chairman. A source in the party's top hierarchy confided in one of our correspondents that Anenih's visits to the state chief executives achieved little in terms of pacifying the governors thus both the President and the BoT chairman were said to have considered options to "deal with the thorny issue." Nonetheless, Jonathan was said to have insisted on not disgracing Tukur out of office. He was also said to have seen the recalcitrance of the governors as a challenge to his own leadership of the party. A top member of the BoT, who pleaded anonymity, said, "From what was discussed at the meeting, Jonathan would continue to support Tukur. He has been told not to allow himself to be intimidated by the governors." Some of the governors so far visited by Anenih were said to have insisted that the problem with the party was the manner Tukur was handling its affairs. They were quoted as saying that Tukur was running the party like a personal estate. Media reports also had it that the governors had taken a common position that for the party to know peace, Tukur must be sacked, thus fuelling speculations that some presidential aides were already shopping for a replacement for Tukur. The governors' no-love-lost for Tukur started last year with the national chairman's alleged unilateral dissolution of the Adamawa State exco of the party in his war for control of the state PDP with Governor Murtala Nyako. In solidarity with their counterpart in the state, the governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors' Forum, had kicked and asked for the reversal of the dissolution, apparently fearing that such could also happen in their own states if the Adamawa case was allowed to stay. At the peak of their battle with Tukur, the governors in January had asked for the immediate convening of the PDP National Executive Council meeting where it was speculated that the governors who wielded enormous influence among members had planned to pass a vote of no confidence on the national chairman. The PDP National Working Committee, over which Tukur presides, has refused to heed the governors' demand though the party's constitution prescribes that NEC meetings hold every quarter. The last meeting of the NEC held in July 2012.  Tukur was said to have angered the governors with his recent announcement of plan to hold congress of the South-West where new persons would be elected to replace the sacked PDP National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; the equally sacked Vice National Chairman, South-West, Segun Oni; and  National Auditor, Chief Bode Mustapha. The three were removed by the court which ruled that the zonal congress that produced them was faulty. The national chairman has been criticised for choosing to obey the order of a Federal High Court which called for the removal of Oyinlola, Oni and Mustapha, while ignoring the stay of execution order of the judgment by a court of appeal. Punch