By Henry Umoru

State Congresses
PRELUDE to yesterday’s coronation at Eagle Square where the former governor of old Gongola State, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, was crowned the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after ten other aspirants were forced to withdraw even against their wishes, but for the supremacy of the party, the last seven days have been clouded with activities.

On Saturday, 17 March, the PDP held state congresses some of them controversial, just as it was designed to put in place the administrative structures in the state for the party, all preparatory yesterday’s national convention. Most former state executive committees of the party were returned and, in most cases, those presented were unopposed.

Zonal Congresses
After the state congresses, the PDP, on Wednesday, held its zonal congresses in the six geo-political zones of the country for its zonal officers. The congresses took place in Bauchi for the North East; Kaduna, North West; Lafia, North Central; Ibadan, South West; Enugu, South East; Port Harcourt, South South.

Defeat of Tukur by Babayo
The push of Tukur for the position of National Chairman of PDP by President Goodluck Jonathan suffered a major set back and humiliation, on Wednesday, when the North East Zone caucus of the party announced that the immediate past Acting National Secretary of the party, Dr. Musa Babayo, was endorsed.

The announcement to say the least, touched Tukur and became a moral booster for him to reach out and intensify his connection, power as well as woo the governors the more.

Tukur absent at a night for him on Wednesday
Though the date for the event had been fixed to hold at the Thisday Dome with no thinking by the Chairmanship aspirant or his organizers that such news would break same Wednesday. It was an evening with Tukur, organized by Friends of Bamanga Tukur.

It became a forum for former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana, Ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Engr. Abba Gana and erstwhile Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas to,  in strong terms, condemn the Wednesday’s election where Tukur was said to have failed.

PDP Chairmanship candidates before they were force to step down for Tukur

They stressed that it will not stand the test of time.
Gana, Chairman of the occasion, who described the former governor of the Old Gongola State, as a motivator who has inspired many across the country, stressed that the Bauchi election was just noise making.

According to him, Tukur is a man courage and tremendous character who was a founding member of the PDP.  He added that he made his house available for meetings along side the late Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, former governor of Plateau State, Chief Solomon Lar and himself.

To Graham-Douglas, who was the father of the day, Tukur is the best man for the job of National chairman of the PDP, adding that irrespective of the stories from the North East geo-political zone of the country, he will be voted in for the position, just as he urged Nigerians to disregard the information that came from the zone.

According to him, there are six zones in the country and if the rest say it is Tukur, no one could change it, adding that delegates should go to the field and vote for Bamanga Tukur.

Abba Gana said that if things were normal in Nigeria, someone like  Tukur will not be sought for to contest for the position of PDP National Chairman, adding that because of political crisis, insecurity in Nigeria and the nation not getting it right, it became imperative to get him for the job.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of Friends of Bamanga Tukur disclosed that the event was put together to drum support for the aspiration of  Tukur.

Nine aspirants together
The humiliation of Tukur in the Bauchi election became a blessing in disguise, it brought together nine chairmanship aspirants under one umbrella.

On Thursday, the aspirants assembled in the Aso Drive residence of a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Engr. Ibrahim Bunu, to fight a common ‘enemy’, Babayo.

The aspirants described the exercise that threw up Babayo as very strange and undemocratic. Tukur was represented at the meeting by former Minister of Education, Dauda Birmah.

Others at the joint briefing after the meeting were former governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Muazu; ex-Minister of Defence, Dr. Shettima Mustafa; former Minister of Commerce, Ambassador Adamu Idris Waziri; former Minister of Agriculture and Rural development, Mallam Adamu Bello; former Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters, Senator Mohammed Abba- Aji; Barrister Ibrahim Shehu Birma; the host and Alhaji Gambo Lawan.
Nocturnal meetings

Before yesterday were series of nocturnal meetings between President Goodluck Jonathan, governors of the PDP, leaders of the party, stakeholders, among others, on the possible arrival of a consensus candidate and the meetings produced the harmonization of the list which was read at the Eagle Square and ratified by the delegates.