By Mahmoud
President Bola Tinubu has condoled with the family of former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Mohammed Tukur, who died on Saturday at the age of 90.
In a condolence message, Tinubu described the late Tukur as a prominent Nigerian whose contributions cut across politics, public administration, industry and business.
The President expressed sympathy to the deceased’s family, friends and associates, praying for the repose of his soul.Tukur, born on September 15, 1935, in Adamawa State, began his public career in the maritime sector and served as General Manager and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Ports Authority from 1975 to 1982.
His tenure at the NPA placed him among prominent public administrators of his generation.
He later entered politics and contested the 1983 governorship election in the old Gongola State on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).
He won the election and became governor in October 1983, although his administration lasted only about three months before the military coup of December 31, 1983, brought the Second Republic to an end.
Tukur returned to business and became involved in several national and international business initiatives.
He also served as President of the African Business Roundtable and Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group, reflecting his longstanding interest in African economic development and private-sector growth.
His political career continued into the 1990s, when he served as Minister of Industries. He subsequently became associated with the formation and development of the PDP and was regarded as one of the party’s founding figures. In March 2012, Tukur was elected National Chairman of the PDP after emerging as the consensus candidate at the party’s national convention in Abuja. He secured 3,185 votes out of 3,448 votes cast.
He resigned as PDP national chairman in January 2014 following a period of intense internal crisis within the party.
His tenure witnessed the emergence of the breakaway “New PDP” faction after a group of governors walked out of the party’s national convention, an episode that later contributed to major political realignments ahead of the 2015 general elections. With his death, Nigeria has lost a political elder whose career spanned the public service, business and partisan politics, from the Second Republic and the old Gongola State to the leadership of one of the country’s major political parties.
Tinubu urged Nigerians to remember Tukur for his service to the nation and prayed that God would grant him eternal rest.
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