Tukur may be replaced by Hassan Adamu as PDP chair

The fate of the  embattled chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, is expected to sealed Sunday night as governors elected under the party's platform meet with President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting and other such meetings scheduled to hold from Monday (tomorrow).

Everything points to a possible exit of Tukur as the National Chairman of the party. Both governors and the National Working Committee members of the party have all blamed Tukur for the festering crisis in the party.

It was learnt that President Goodluck Jonathan may have caved in to pressure to let Tukur go. According to sources, the party has even decided a possible replacement. According to one account, Hassan Adamu, Walakin Adamwa may be tapped to replace him.

Adamu is said to enjoy huge respect across the aisle in his home state of Adamawa, which incidentally is where Tukur hails from. Besides, Adamu who led the Manufacturers Association of Nigerian for several years is said to have sound managerial acumen.

On Saturday, both pro and anti-Tukur camps were said to have held several meetings to plan strategies for the next meeting with the president scheduled to hold this evening.

Several accusations and counter accusations of bribery on the subject of Tukur's removal were prevalent on Saturday, prompting the  party's spokesman, Chief Olisah Metuh, to issue a statement.

He said,  'We wish to state unequivocally that the NWC is not divided and members were not in any way influenced by any person whatsoever in presenting their positions at the meeting with the president.

'Our attention has been drawn to a malicious report wherein the governor of Akwa-Ibom State, His Excellency, Chief Godswill Akpabio, was falsely reported to have sponsored some members of the National Working Committee to destabilise the leadership of our great party for alleged political reasons.

'This report is not only fictitious, but also part of the viscous plot by the enemies of the PDP to destroy the hard-earned reputation of our officials, divide our ranks and ultimately destroy our unity by compromising certain section of the media to plant fabricated stories and tissues of lies; a project which has already failed.

'We wish to state unequivocally that the NWC is not divided and members were not, in any way, influenced by any person whatsoever in presenting their positions at the meeting with the president, contrary to the malevolent report planted in The Punch newspapers.

'For the avoidance of doubt, all members of the NWC took turns to make their presentations to the president in the meeting which dwelt on the domestic affairs of our party. No member was, in anyway, represented and none aired his or her view in represented capacity.

'It is instructive to note that neither The Punch reporter nor any other journalist for that matter was present at the meeting and, as such, they could not have been privy to what exactly transpired.

'While we call on all our members and supporters to disregard the speculations in the report, we charge the media to always cross-check their information and get clarifications from appropriate quarters before going to the press.'