Former PDP Chairman Bamanga Tukur Passes Away at 90

Bamanga Tukur, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a presidential candidate in the Third Republic, has died at the age of 90.

Family sources confirmed Mr Tukur's death on Saturday, but they did not share details about how he died.

Mr Tukur was born on 15 September 1935. He was a politician and public administrator. He served as the governor of Gongola State, which included what we now know as Adamawa and Taraba states, during the Nigerian Second Republic.

His public service career started at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), where he was General Manager from 1975 to 1982. He later moved into politics and won the Gongola gubernatorial election in 1983.

His time in office was cut short by a military coup in December of that year.

After leaving public office, Mr Tukur made his mark in the private sector. He founded BHI Holdings, which many know as the DADDO Group of Companies.

Between 1993 and 1995, he returned to federal service as Minister of Industries under General Sani Abacha's military government.

Mr Tukur had a significant impact on economic policy across Africa. He led the African Business Roundtable as Executive President and chaired the NEPAD Business Group. He also had advisory roles with various international trade organizations.

In March 2012, Mr Tukur became the PDP National Chairman, with support from then-President Goodluck Jonathan.

He stayed in that position until January 2014, when he resigned due to ongoing internal disputes within the party.

Mr Tukur was known as Tafidan Adamawa.

For his contributions to the nation, the federal government honored him with national awards, including Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). He also received the title of Commander of the Order of the Mono (COM) from the Republic of Togo.

He is survived by his wives, children, and grandchildren.