Jubilation For Mu’azu, Tutorial From Tukur

On Sunday, 19 January 2014, a former Governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Mu'azu, was chosen as the new National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He replaced Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who's widely regarded as President Goodluck Jonathan's man. The ejected Tukur became the national chairman of the party on March 24, 2012, amidst controversy.

Tukur's tenure was widely expected to end on March 23, 2016, but the same forces that were opposed to his emerging as chairman in 2012, contributed to his ouster. Many had thought that Jonathan triumphed over some governors and other PDP powerbrokers that were opposed to his choice in Tukur, till avoidable crises began to characterise the party and many members pulled out and pitched tent with some opposition political parties.

It was a game of intrigues. Mr. President had thought that he was knack with the meeting held on a Friday night that saw to the emergence of his choice, Tukur. Journalists christened that Friday as “a marathon night meeting with the dissenters.” Against this backdrop, there are lessons for Mu'azu, 58, who emerged the national chairman of the coveted office of the PDP, seemingly on the altar of unanimous adoption and would be working with Jonathan closely to reposition the strewn PDP ahead of 2015 elections.

What is expected of Mu'azu is to be impartial to duty, owing to the tedious works he has to do in the party and in making sure that peace is restored to the party, (if the PDP still needs peace). Mu'azu is one man that many people have said that has done a lot for his home state of Bauchi. This could be true, because there have been hardly uproars against his choice since on the January 19 he was made the chairman of the ruling party. It is believed that one task that Mu'azu should not toy with is to love Nigeria first and his party before becoming loyal to anybody or gearing-up for his personal interest.

Many believe that Mu'azu's magnetism is from Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Others believe the contrary of all the allures said that Mu'azu enjoys in the cause of his stewardship. It would be suicidal for Mu'azu to neglect any opposition in the party, as Jonathan did in making sure that Tukur became the national chairman of the PDP then. That singular act has caused the party some image-damage, which would take proper measures to launder the battered image into shape.

It was not that Tukur became the national chairman of the party then that is a cause of concern today, but that he resigned from his position amidst hatred, bickering, tinkering and usurpations. The old Gongola State-born politician even had to confess the challenges he faced in office, and they were not sugercoated. Tukur had thought that a meeting at the presidential villa, which dangled the pendulum in his favour, was part of his better years in politics, but he met waterloos of crowd of oppositions within the party, which hereby entails that anything gotten through shortcuts does not end well.

Tukur was highhanded, when it was known that somebody stepped down for him with the insistence of the president that he could only be comfortable in working with Tukur. That act by the president did not go well with the party and also, for the president to had berated the aggrieved governors opposed to Tukur that he did not interfere in their different states choice of the party's chairman; so they should allow him choose who he could work with.

Jonathan did not want to be rubbished, but his idea for choosing Tukur did. He, however, asked the governors to make their choice for the positions of the deputy national chairmanship and national secretary. With perseverance of the president, the governors bowed for him to make his choice. Former-President Olusegun Obasanjo who was purportedly at the meeting, even paid obeisance to Jonathan's argument. But he is the same man today, criticising Jonathan for the crises that have befallen the PDP.

Nevertheless, now that all hope seem to be reassured in Mu'azu, let him not be another Tukur. It seems to be a culture in PDP that any of its 'consensus' chairmen does not end well in office. Dr. Okwesileze Nwodo would not forget in a hurry the embarrassments he endured as the PDP's chairman and how he was unceremoniously booted out of office.

Mu'azu should make sure that he is in a relationship with his state governor, to avoid a replay of Nyako vs. Tukur. He should take into account the fact that those close to him have said that he has what it takes to navigate the affairs of the party. Mu'azu might be a nice person for a foundation member of the PDP like Dr. Orji Kalu, former governor of Abia State, to have sent a congratulatory note to him, on his election as the National Chairman of the PDP.

Chief Adamu Mu'azu should not disappoint a person like Kalu who said of him in the following lines: Your election is a confirmation of your robust pedigree in leadership at various strata of the society and shows the confidence the party has in your capacity to lead the biggest political association on the continent...

Odimegwu Onwumere, a Poet/Writer, writes from Rivers State.

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