Bamanga Tukur quits politics, supports Buhari’s govt

A former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur  says he has quit  partisan politics.
Bamanga said he has left politics for the younger generation having served in various capacities as a politician, and preferred to be an elder statesman and adviser.
Speaking at his 80th birthday anniversary yesterday at his residence in Abuja, Bamanga, a former governor of the defunct Gongola State said his doors were open to all who might  wish to seek his advice on issues bordering on politics and business.
He said that he had added value to governance in the country and advised politicians to play politics as a game by the rules.
According to him, he was a victim of dictatorship and had decided to join forces with like-minded democrats to press for democratic republicanism leading to the formation of the PDP.
As one of the founders and foundation members of the PDP, the former party chairman said he had introduced sanity in the party, internal democracy, party discipline and supremacy.
“It is time to say goodbye to formal politics. I have used several political platforms to serve my country. It is time to rest. I leave partisan politics for the younger generation,” he said.
He noted that because of the long years of military rule in Nigeria, politicians have not yet internalised and applied the principle of internal party democracy, expressing optimism that with time, party democracy will be entrenched in party system.
Bamanga, who is the President, African Business Roundtable (ABR) also called on Nigerians to support the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that it succeeded.
Bamanga also congratulated ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for fashioning out a credible electoral system for Nigeria and for his statesman-like concession of victory at the last presidential election.
Vice President, ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Toga Mackintosh, in a lecture lamented the inability of African countries to forge a formidable integration to be a relevant player at the world stage.