Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, National Chairman, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), says the party is evolving ways to strengthen party supremacy and good governance in the administration of the nation’s democracy.
Tukur made the statement on Wednesday in Abuja while fielding questions from newsmen after holding a closed-door meeting with the Senate caucus of the party.
The meeting which started at 2 p.m., lasted for three and a half hours.
Tukur said the meeting did not discuss the issue of the defection of some of its members to the opposition party but rather it created and opportunity for him to exchange ideas with fellow members of the PDP family in the senate.
“We did not talk about people who want to go or want to stay.
“I came here because it is the first time I am coming to meet my family.
“They are my members. We are now going to do what would help move the party forward.
“Our discussions focused on entrenchment of democracy, entrenchment of discipline and entrenchment of good governance, ” he said.
The Leader of the Senate, Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP-Cross River), said that Tukur and the PDP caucus had a “very useful and frank meeting” during which issues affecting PDP senators were discussed.
He said that the two sides emphasised the need to adhere to the constitution of the party and the tenets of democracy at all times.
He, however, declined the request by newsmen to explain the specific nature of the “domestic issues” that came up at the meeting.
“We discussed the provisions of the constitution and emphasised democracy.
“Our party is called People’s Democratic Party and we reminded ourselves that we must be democratic at all times.
“We discussed issues affecting members of the PDP Senate Caucus and the national chairman listened attentively.
“They are domestic issues and you don’t expect me to discuss domestic issues in the public.
“They are issues that affect us as members of the party in the senate,’’ he said.
Ndoma-Egba said that the issue of defection was not an agenda of the meeting, adding that no senator indicated interest to defect from the party.
“The issue (defection) never came up. And I can say categorically that at this point in time no senator has indicated that he is going anywhere.
Some senators whose state governors recently defected from the PDP to the Alliance for Progressives Change (APC) did not attend the meeting.
