I can only be removed through national convention, says Tukur

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has said that nobody, not even President Goodluck Jonathan has the power to remove him from office.

Tukur, who has been blamed by virtually everybody for the recent downturn in the fortunes of the party, was riled by the refusal of members of the party's National Working Committee to attend a meeting he called at the party's secretariat in Abuja last Wednesday.

The chairman told reporters that he could only be removed from office through a properly conducted National Convention and that unless and until that takes place, nobody, would remove him.

He denied vehemently the allegation that he had been asked to resign by the President.

Tukur accused the opposition of planting the story to create disharmony in the party.

'I am an elected National Chairman, I have my certificate of return, I cannot resign,' he bragged.  'The convention brought me, so it has to take the convention that brought me for me to resign. So, not even the President can ask me to resign. Remember, some members of the NWC were asked to go recently because the election that brought them was flawed, so Mr. President cannot tread that route again.'