Bamanga Tukur, former national chairman, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), on Tuesday announced his retirement from partisan politics.
The ex-chairman of NEPAD Business Group Africa and one-time governor of the Old Gongola State (now Adamawa and Taraba states), said that he was leaving the political scene for younger generation, adding that he would rather serve the nation as a “statesman and father figure.”
He stated this in Abuja on Tuesday at the 2nd Bamanga Tukur International Legacy Lecture Series to mark his 80th birthday celebration.
Tukur, who was forced to resign as PDP chairman in 2014, however, said his doors were open to all politicians, businessmen and Nigerians who might seek his opinion on any issue affecting the country and beyond.
In the same token, his successor, Adamu Ma’azu, was also forced to resign in May this year after the party’s shocking defeat at the 2015 general elections.
Although, Olisa Metuh, PDP national publicity secretary, issued a statement congratulating the former chairman immediately after the lecture series, the party leadership was, however, absent at the lecture programme.
The octogenarian urged elected officers and government officials to regard their positions as sacred and put national interest above personal interest.
“I deem it fit to use this opportunity of my 80th birthday celebration to announce my retirement from partisan politics. 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.
“Politics should be seen as an avenue for rendition of service to the country. Politics should not be a bread and butter affair. All politicians should rededicate themselves to the service of the people”, he declared.
BusinessDay reports that this is not the first time an elder statesman has announced his retirement from active politics; the recent being ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo who tore his PDP membership card in February 2015 but threw his weight behind APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, in the build-up to the 2015 polls.
Tukur, one of the founding fathers of PDP, recalled that he was among those who midwifed the 4th Republic. He submitted that Nigerian politicians have not yet internalised the principle of internal democracy and called on political parties to have concrete ideologies as this will help to curtail unmitigated defections in the system.
He also called on Nigerians to support the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
Delivering his lecture, the Vice President, ECOWAS Commission, Toga Mackintosh, lamented the inability of Africa to forge a formidable integration to be a relevant player at the world stage.
He cited weakness in planning, uncoordinated approaches to development and reluctance to overhaul existing approaches, as some of the reasons why Africa has not been able to forge a formidable regional front globally.
He proposed the generation of a critical mass of societal, human and institutional capacity, noting that it is the only way to maximise Africa’s benefits and sustain its relevance among the comity of nations.
The ECOWAS Commission VP further proposed an African Graduate University of Development Studies, which would focus on sustaining development for regional integration. The resource person pointed out that the institution will help to drive economic and development concept, theories and garnish administration of polices.
He, however, suggested that a small committee be constituted to have a deeper reflection on the proposals and for a document to be presented to the statesman on his next birthday for onward presentation to Africa.
