PDP shops for Tukur’s replacement as Jonathan meets governors from North East

President Goodluck Jonathan met behind closed doors with four governors from the North East geo-political zone of the country which going by the zoning principles should produce the next National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The governors who met with President Jonathan include Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe), acting Governor Garba Umar (Taraba) and Bala James Ngilari (deputy governor Adamawa).

Yuguda while fielding questions from State House correspondents did not admit that they were in the Villa over the issue of the new party chairman,  said: “Are we God? Its God that gives power. Supposing he gives somebody from my state, a PDP state, what will I do? I will follow him. Let us not go into that kind of imagination.”

Yuguda who was flanked by Dankwabo, Umar and Ngilari, urged Nigerians to be patient till Monday when the new chairman will emerge, saying, “It is just mere speculation. It’s just speculation. We just came to say hello to the president and wish him a Good Friday.

“Well, on Monday is the day the NEC will decide who the chairman is going to be. So, let’s wait till Monday.”

On what kind of chairman the PDP needed in view of the crisis that accompanied Tukur’s tenure, the Bauchi governor remarked no matter who was selected, there will always be crisis but that it is the ability to manage them that matters.

“Crisis will always be there. If there is no crisis, there won’t be managers anyway. So, somebody must be in charge to manage the situation. That’s why God structures leadership. And even at the family level, you have a leader to manage problems and crisis. So, we cannot be insulated from crisis. It is a continuous thing. The capacity to manage it is what makes you a good leader,” he stated.

On the high turnover of PDP national chairmen, Yuguda attributed the development to the level of maturity of the nation’s democracy.

“Well, I have been discussing that with my colleague from Gombe and he gave me a very wonderful answer that we are on democracy learning curve.

“So, that’s the dynamics in democracy. So, we are learning. So, we will cross the line very soon, insha Allah,”  he noted.

On members who defected from the PDP on account of Tukur’s style of leadership, he said now that the former National Chairman was no longer in office, the defectors are welcome back.

“Wait for those who said he was their problem. He is no longer there. So, They are welcome,” he declared.