A national chairmanship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, on Thursday continued his campaign for the office despite the fact that he does not have the support of his zone, the North East.
Tukur on Wednesday lost in the bid for who will represent the zone at the National Convention of the PDP, holding in Abuja on Saturday.
The loss, however, does not affect his pursuit of the chairmanship position.
Tukur, 77, obviously the choice of President Goodluck Jonathan, lost to the acting National Secretary of the party, Musa Babayo.
While Babayo had 14 votes, Tukur scored only two votes at the zonal congress held in Bauchi, Bauchi State.
But this development has not slowed down Tukur’s campaign for the exalted post.
He appeared on a television programme on Thursday, to speak about his ambition and what he has to offer if offered the opportunity to serve.
His leg men are also on the move, sources told The Eagle Online.
But it was not only Tukur who had the backing of a high profile personality that lost in the zonal congress.
Also in Kaduna, Kaduna State, the preferred candidate of Vice President Namadi Sambo for the position of the Zonal Secretary, Barrister Yakubu Abdullahi, popularly known as Legal, lost to Bashir Tanimu Gambo from Katsina State.
In the South West, a former Governor of Ekiti State, Engineer Segun Oni, emerged as the National Vice Chairman of the zone.
In the South South, it was Chief Steven Oru from Delta State that was elected as the National Vice-Chairman.
In the North Central, it was a consensus arrangement that was adopted.
Alhaji Yusuf Ayitogo was adopted as the National Vice Chairman of the North Central Zone.
The President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, said that the arrangement suits the zone as it is in the characteristic of the North Central to conduct such elections peacefully.
Mark said to the new head of the PDP in the zone: “You now have a bigger responsibility to lead the party in the next four years. You have our trust and confidence. You cannot afford to fail us. We have been working together and it has paid off. We can only make progress if we continue to work together.”