By Emeka Nze
Abuja
A former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has has turned down gesture by the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff faction to enlist his support for the faction.
Tukur stated that he would not be partisan, but rather remained available to all the factions for advice on the way forward declaring that the party would not die in spite of the crisis rocking it.
He stated that it was in line of this that he received Senator Sheriff and his team as a father at his residence.
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja yesterday shortly after a meeting with the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff led National Working Committee, Tukur also said that the clamoring for the formation of a mega party ahead of the 2019 general elections was a democracy in action.
Flanked by Senator Sheriff, Dr Cairo Ojougboh , Deputy National Chairman and others,Tukur stated that PDP was a political party formed by the people with a slogan “Power to the People which cannot be changed no matter what”.
According to him “PDP forever will be because if they follow the philosophy that established PDP, what do you say, power to the people, will it change? If democracy is about the people, however you look at it. so it can still change, it is the approach.
On his perception about the ongoing agitation for the formation of a mega party ahead of the 2019 General elections, Tukur said,” It is democracy, people can say what they like but what they get is different.
Also speaking with news men, Sheriff said that he came to see Tukur as a father for proper advice on how to move forward in life.
According to him,”Baba is my father and I came to visit him, look at how he is doing, seek advice and to tell him my thinking and that is personal
“We have discussed and that is not for the media consumption. He is an elder statesman. He has achieved many things in life at every level; in business and in politics
“It’s people like him that encouraged me to join politics when he came to my father’s house trying to become president or let me say when the North-East of Nigeria gathered in Maiduguri that they wanted to support Bamanga. Those were the things that encouraged me to join politics
“Therefore, whatever I discussed with my father, I won’t let you know. I am actually surprised to see you here. I don’t know how manage you (newsmen) are here today,” Sheriff said.
