Alhaji Bamanga Tukur

Chuks Okocha

National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Monday lamented the effects of factional crisis within the party, stating that the party is gradually losing its members.

As a measure to stem the exodus of members from the party, particularly in Kano State, Tukur set up an eight-man committee led by the former Minister of Culture, Alabo Graham Douglas, to reconcile the factional group in the state.

According to Tukur while inaugurating the Graham Douglas committee, “Our party is losing membership due to this crisis. It was not like this when we started this party. People left the party due to several misunderstanding. There are many factions within the PDP. It is the duty of this committee to reconcile them and bring them under one big umbrella.”

He explained that the party cannot win elections due to internal crisis rocking it, saying, “I don’t want crisis in PDP. We lost elections because of factions, misunderstanding. We cannot continue like this. It is one of the cardinal principles of campaign to ensure reconciliations within the party. When we reconcile, we build the party, peace, unity and justice.”

He said that PDP cannot develop and grow more than the present stage, unless there is reconciliation, explaining that was one of the reasons hewas setting up the committee to commence reconciliation with Kano State.

Tukur explained that though there are bound to be crisis in PDP because of its large followership, but where such crisis are left unaddressed, there would be problem during election period, hence the need to commence the reconciliation now.

In this regard, the PDP national chairman charged the Graham-Douglas-led committee to go to Kano with an open mind, find out the causes of the crisis and bring estranged members of the party back.

He reminded the committee that though, the party has been in government in the last 14 years and that it is necessary to plug all loop holes and nib the crisis in the bud.

In his response, the chairman of the committee, Graham-Douglas, pledged that the committee will do a thorough job and return home with all members, both new and old.

Other members of the committee include Senator Victor Oyofo, Alhaji Mohammed Goni, Hon. Mohammed Wakil, among others.