"I Was Forced To Resign" - Former PDP Chieftain, Tukur Tells Court

The former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has declared that he was forced to resign his post in order for the seven defected governors to return to the party. Tukur, however, said that following the defection of the seven PDP governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013, pressures were mounted on President Goodluck Jonathan to remove him to enable the governors’ return to the party.
In a counter-affidavit he filed to a suit instituted by an aspirant to the House of Representatives in Adamawa State, Aliyu Abuba Gurin, who is seeking to unseat the present national chairman of the party, Adamu Mu’azu, and also stop the party’s planned delegates convention, described Mu’azu’s appointment as a nullity.

In the motion on notice filed by the plaintiff, the court was asked to stop the planned national convention of the PDP scheduled for December 10 and 11, 2014. The plaintiff in the suit also argued that Tukur’s resignation did not comply with the provision of Section 47(5) of the constitution of the party which stipulates that a 30-day notice be given to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) by Tukur.

The defendants in the suit are the PDP, Tukur, Mu’azu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In his counter-affidavit to the plaintiff’s suit, Tukur said that he was surprised that 10 months after he quit the post, the governors were yet to return.

He further contended that, according to the party’s constitution, if he could not finish his four-year tenure as chairman, he was to hand over to the deputy national chairman as acting chairman, pending the holding of a national convention to elect his successor.

Tukur further stated that the NEC of the party had no power to appoint the national chairman, adding that the votes and proceedings of the NEC held at Wadata House on January 15 and 20, which deliberated on his resignation as national chairman and appointment of Mu’azu as chairman, were null and void.

He added that even if he had submitted a letter of resignation on January 15 to the party, the letter did not comply with Section 47(5) of the party’s constitution which requires that a 30-day prior notice should be given.

Furthermore, Tukur stated that the subsequent presentation of Mu’azu to NEC as the new chairman for appointment did not comply with Section 47(6) of the party constitution, Section 85(3) of the Electoral Act, 2010 and Section 223(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

He stated that at the time of Mu’azu’s appointment, no vacancy existed in the office of the national chairman, adding that Mu’azu lacks power to preside over the planned convention as such will nullify its proceedings.

He, however, submitted that it would be in the interest of all parties if the status quo ante bellum is maintained, pending the election of a new chairman via a national convention.

Culled from: The Leadership