A majority of the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have lined up behind Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State in his ongoing face-off with Bamanga Tukur, the party’s national chairman. The governor appeared earlier today (Friday) at the party headquarters in Abuja to answer a summons by the National Working Committee.
A majority of the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have lined up behind Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State in his ongoing face-off with Bamanga Tukur, the party’s national chairman. The governor appeared earlier today (Friday) at the party headquarters in Abuja to answer a summons by the National Working Committee.
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SaharaReporters learnt that Mr. Tukur prevailed on members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to summon the governor to the party’s national headquarters for discussions that one source described as “disciplinary in nature.” The NWC took the decision to invite the governor at their meeting last Wednesday.
However, a source within the party disclosed that the governor was adamant during Friday’s discussions, insisting that he had done nothing wrong.
The party’s national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, had told journalists after the meeting that Mr. Nyako was invited to answer questions on issues bearing on party matters in Adamawa State.
A source in the party told SaharaReporters that Mr. Tukur was angry that none of his loyalists was among candidates who contested for the posts of local government chairmen and councilors in Saturday’s elections in the state. Mr. Tukur, an indigene of Adamawa State, has been embroiled in a power struggle with the state governor for some months now. The election was swept by candidates of the PDP, all of whom were nominated by Mr. Nyako.
A source close to Mr. Nyako revealed that the governor was drilled by NWC members for about three hours. At the end of the meeting, the governor told newsmen that the results of the local government election would stand. He said: “Of course the election stands. The result of the election is not determined by the party. It is determined by the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC).”
Fielding questions from journalists on the call for the harmonization of candidates for the election, a matter that has generated some controversy between the governor and the party, Mr. Nyako said, “Whatever we had to do was done in the best interest of the party.” He continued: “I can assure you that it will not become a problem when we want to do it, because whatever we had to do has to be in the best interest of the party and our state.”
One of the PDP governors told SaharaReporters that most of the governors are appalled that Mr. Tukur wants to punish Governor Nyako because of the governor’s refusal to support his emergence as the chairman of the party.
Another point of tension between the governor and the party’s chairman is Mr. Tukur reported desire to pave the way for one of his sons, Awwal, to succeed Mr. Nyako as Adamawa governor.
“The refusal of the governor to give Dr. Bamanga Tukur some slots in the local government elections means that Dr. Tukur will have a tough time maneuvering his son to Government House in 2015,” said one source.
The governor who spoke to our correspondent disclosed that the governors were watching carefully to see how the party leadership is going to treat Governor Nyako before deciding on a course of action.
“If they think they can humiliate one of us, we know what to do. He (Tukur) should better learn what happened to a former chairman of the party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, who attempted to wrestle power from the Governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime,” the governor said.
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