TUKUR'S RESIGNATION RECONFIRMED DESPITE DENIAL

After months of political horse- trading, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, on
Wednesday finally bowed to pressures on him to resign as the
National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
Before an authoritative source in Abuja made this known toat about
11.51pm, there had been confusion on whether he had indeed quit or
not.
Tukur himself accentuated the confusion when he told State House
correspondents minutes before the PDP Board of Trustees met in the
Presidential Villa, that he had not resigned.
"If I resign, you will know. I am not somebody that will resign and
you will not know. I have not resigned."
But a BoT member, who declined to be named, told one of our
correspondents that the PDP had already accepted his resignation.
"Yes, it is true that he has resigned and the party has accepted his
resignation ," he said after the meeting.
He explained that the National Executive Committee of the party would
announce Tukur's resignation during its meeting which would commence
at noon on Thursday(today).
The source added that the decision by the leadership of the PDP and
the Presidency to keep Tukur's resignation under wraps was to
prevent a leadership vacuum in the party.
"We couldn't make it public now since we have not appointed his
successor. We would announce his resignation after our NEC meeting
tomorrow(today) . But I can tell you authoritatively that he has
resigned."
Tukur had amid speculations that he had turned in his resignation
letter to the President before noon on Wednesday, arrived the
Presidential Villa, Abuja for the BOT meeting which started at about
7.55pm.
He wore a flowing brown guinea brocade.
Although he was absent from the reconvened national caucus meeting in
the Villa, he attended the Armed Forces Remembrance Day's laying of
wreath at the National Arcade, Abuja.
Before these, his media aide, Mr. Oliver Okpala, said in a text
message to one of our correspondents, that his boss had yet to
resign.
Okpala said, "Be informed that the national chairman has not resigned.
It is all speculation.
"The national chairman will be at the BOT meeting at night today
(Wednesday) and will also attend the NEC of the party tomorrow
(today)."
Tukur was however absent at the party's national secretariat in Abuja
on Wednesday when the other members of the NWC met.
The Chairman of the BOT, Chief Tony Anenih, had told journalists
after the meeting that Tukur attended as the national chairman of
the PDP and that he believed he(Tukur) also left in the same
capacity.
"He (Tukur) attended the meeting as the national chairman. We all left
together. I believe he left as national chairman," Anenih claimed.
When asked about the major decisions taken at the meeting, he said
they were meant for only BOT members and not journalists.
Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State said Tukur's fate was a
decision the party would take at its own time.