PDP IN THE THROES OF A REBIRTH : Finally, Tukur resigns ... Secondus to be acting chair ... PDP shops for new chairman ... DailyTrustNews

The embattled national chairman of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) bowed to pressure and agreed to step down yesterday, senior party officials told Daily Trust last night.
Alhaji Bamanga Tukur caved in after losing the confidence of key party officers and elders, including governors, the national executive and state chairman.
On Tuesday night, the PDP national caucus met and resolved to demand the chairman’s resignation as a way of resolving the crisis rocking the party.
Following this, Tukur agreed to quit but this would not be announced until after the national executive committee meeting today, a senior official told Daily Trust.
The official said party leaders had been busy throughout yesterday shopping for a new chairman to replace Tukur.
It was not clear if a decision had been taken on that, but sources said deputy national chairman Uche Secondus would be named acting national chairman until March when a convention would be held to choose a substantive chairman.
In spite of the confirmation that he is stepping down, Tukur spoke to journalists at the Presidential Villa in Abuja last night, where he denied quitting.
This was the second day in succession that he would have to issue such denial following reports on the Internet that he had bowed to pressure.
“I am not somebody that will resign and you will not know. I have not resigned,” Tukur told State House correspondents on his arrival for the board of trustees meeting.
The BOT was convened as part of series of crisis meetings in the wake of renewed pressure for the chairman’s ouster, which was among key demands by five PDP governors who left the party late last year.
Before the trustees’ session, a meeting of the PDP national caucus, which began and adjourned Tuesday night, was concluded.
Speaking to journalists shortly after, Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam said the resignation of Tukur was not discussed. He said the meeting only discussed how to restructure the party in all the states, especially Osun and Ekiti where gubernatorial elections would hold this year.
“We did not discuss Bamanga Tukur’s resignation at the meeting. We only discussed how we are going to structure the party in the states,” he said.
The caucus meeting, which lasted for 45 minutes, was attended by President Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, House Leader Mulikat Adeola-Akande, Chief Tony Anenih, Senator Ahmadu Ali, Chief Emmanuel Inwuanyanwu and Chief Bode George.
The governors in attendance were Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Theodre Orji (Abia), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Godswil Akpabio (Akwa Ibom) and Isa Yuguda (Bauchi).
Tukur did not attend that meeting.
Also speaking at the Villa yesterday, Niger State Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu said the five governors who defected to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) would soon return.
He said they were on the sidelines, “and as soon as the party (PDP) is restructured they will return.”
Fighting back
Even though he had submitted his letter of resignation, the outgoing PDP chairman has also resolved to fight back.
Sources close to him said he was ready to implicate top party leaders including a Presidency official from the South West and a governor from the South South of secretly planning to deny President Goodluck Jonathan the PDP presidential ticket if they succeed in edging the chairman out.
Tukur, who held meetings with various groups yesterday at his Abuja residence, was said to have briefed some party elders from his state on what transpired at the national caucus meeting Tuesday night where he was asked to resign as a way of resolving the crisis rocking the party.
A source at the elders meeting with the outgoing chairman yesterday said Tukur was shocked by the insistence of those at the caucus meeting Tuesday, including the BOT chairman Tony Anenih, that he should resign on the basis that he was not convening NEC meetings.
The chairman flared up while narrating the encounter, saying Anenih cannot accuse him not convening enough meetings as he himself had not been regularly convening the BOT.
Earlier in the day, before the chairman spoke at the Villa last night, his spokesman Oliver Okpala issued a statement saying Tukur had not resigned.
“Be just informed that the national chairman has not resigned, it is all speculation if such will take place that national chairman will be at the BOT meeting tonight and will also attend the NEC of the party tomorrow,” he said.