The National Chairman of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamangar Tukur said, Wednesday that he has nothing to hide in his quest to see his son becoming the next Governor of Adamawa State.
According to him, his decision to tip his own son as the next Governor of the state was borne out of the principle of equity and fairness of providing a level-playing field for all contestants.
Tukur while speaking with newsmen yesterday, questioned the rationale for querying his son’s ambition to govern his state, when indeed, his son had been in politics and was even eyeing the gubernatorial seat before he became the national chairman of the party.
His words, “my son has been in politics, long before I became the chairman of the party. He was a member of the House of Representatives when I was not PDP chairman. Was I the chairman at that time?
“If my son wants to be governor, I cheer him. If my son is looking for leadership to provide service, why not? My job is not a chairman of the party to promote any individual.
“I have already given out what I will do as chairman of the party. It is to build our party based on equity and justice; free and fair process of electing its leaders at all levels. No imposition. Include everybody and let the party members decide who will be its candidates.
“Bringing the issue of saying, oh, he is my son or my daughter does not arise. Those who are governors are they not sons of other persons? Are they from trees? They are also sons of some individuals.”
On the vexed bombing and killing of innocent Nigerians by the Boko Haram sect, Tukur said, that the nation was under foreign attacks, as according to him, there was no other plausible explanation to the bombings of innocent worshippers in churches and mosques, traders in markets and security outfits as currently witnessed in many states of the North.
He urged Nigerians to stand together, irrespective of faith differences and confront the insurgency which he described as evil.
He said: “My belief is that we must use the opportunity to build a united and strong nation. Nigeria is playing a major role in the African Union. Even today, we are the ones looked upon to go and mediate and keep peace in Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Dafur, among many others. We must have peace at home and remain united in spite of all challenges.
“We are being faced with the menace of insurgency which we call Boko Haram. We are being attacked from outside. We are being attacked at the churches, mosques, police station, prisons, markets. We better think.
“We must stand together as a people: the clergy, community leaders, traditional rulers and the Ulama must work together. This is the time that all hands must be on deck to confront this evil.
“What is happening is a struggle between good and evil and we must all join hands to defeat the evil.
When asked to take a position for or against the proposed amnesty for Boko Haram, the PDP chairman said, “it is not Boko Haram. It is evil. Even if you want to give a connotation, how can you equate the bombing of churches and mosques; police stations and prisons; banks and markets? Let good confront the evil and conquer it”.
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