Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bamanga Tukur has retired from partisan politics.
This is coming barely seven months after former President Olusegun Obasanjo announced his retirement from politics.
Tukur announced his retirement on Tuesday at a lecture in Abuja to mark his 80th birthday. He said the decision was to give the younger generation the opportunity to participate in politics.
Members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) and Board of Trustees (BoT), were conspicuously absent at the occasion, but BoT Secretary, Senator Walid Jubrin, who was present, said he came as a friend of Bamanga Tukur.
The party later in a goodwill message by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, urged younger generation of leaders to emulate Tukur’s humility, honesty, sense of duty and dedication to the national interest.
The former PDP National Chairman, who traced his business and political journey so far, noted that Nigeria as a nation has given him so much and for him, it is a pay-back time.
Tukur said he had done his best for the former ruling party and that it was time for him to retire from partisan politics.
He said, “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.
“I leave partisan politics for the younger generation. I want to be a statesman and an adviser.
“At the age of 80, I feel I can serve our dear nation more in the capacity of a statesman and father figure.”
“I want to rededicate my time, life and resources to the service of our nation as an elder statesman and father. My aim is to help to take Nigeria to the land of promise, to make her truly great and to ensure that she assumes her rightful position in the comity of nations.
“At the age of 80, I feel I can serve our dear nation more in the capacity of a statesman and father figure.
“My doors are open to all politicians, businessmen and businesswomen and all Nigerians who may seek my advice or opinion on any issue affecting our country and beyond,” he said.
Tukur however, enjoined Nigerian politicians to play the game according to the rules and take the interest of the country at heart.
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