PDP chairmanship: Jonathan meets North East governors

President Goodluck Jonathan has commenced consultation with stakeholders in the North East geopolitical zone as he shops for a new national chairman for his party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
The National Executive Council of the ruling party at the federal level, on Thursday formally ratified the resignation of the erstwhile National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
On Monday, NEC will reconvene to ratify the new national chairman.
The President kick-started the consultation with a meeting with four PDP governors elected on the platform of the PDP from the North East where Tukur’s successor will emerge from.
Tukur is from Adamawa State, which falls into the North East geopolitical zone.
Those at the meeting with President Jonathan on Friday were Governors Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State, Ibrahim Dakwambo of Gombe State, Garba Umar (acting) of Taraba State and Deputy Governor of Bala James Ngilari of Adamawa State.
Those being touted as possible replacement are the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar (Gombe); former Governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Muazu; and Dr. Babayo Musa (Bauchi).
Yuguda, while fielding questions from State House correspondents after the meeting, however, downplayed the issue.
Yuguda said they were at the Presidential Villa to just say hello to the President.
He said: “Are we God?
“It’s God that gives power.
“Supposing He gives somebody from my state, a PDP state, what will I do?
“I will follow him.
“Let us not go into that kind of imagination.
“It is just mere speculation.
“It’s just speculation.
“We just came to say hello to the President and wish him a good Friday.
“Well, Monday is the day the NEC will decide who the chairman is going to be.
“So, let’s wait till Monday.”
Asked whether Tukur’s successor would be able to contain the crisis that has engulfed the party, Yuguda said: “Crisis will always be there.
“If there is no crisis, there won’t be managers anyway.
“So, somebody must be in charge to manage the situation.
“That’s why God structures leadership.
“And even at the family level, you have a leader to manage problems and crisis.
“So, we cannot be insulated from crisis.
“It is a continuous thing.
“The capacity to manage it is what makes you a good leader.”