Former PDP National Chairman Bamanga Tukur, Dies At 90, Three Days To 91st Birthday
Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Mohammed Tukur, is dead.
Tukur died on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the age of 90, three days to his 91st birthday. He was born on September 15, 1935.
His death was announced by his son, Hon. Awwal D. Tukur, on behalf of the family, in a statement.
The family said arrangements were underway to take his remains to Yola, Adamawa State, for burial.
“It is with profound sadness and total submission to the will of Almighty Allah that the family announces the passing of our beloved father and patriarch, Alhaji Bamanga Mohammed Tukur, who returned to his Creator today 12th September 2026,” the statement said.
The family described him as a man whose “wisdom, generosity and commitment to the development of our nation touched countless lives,” adding that his legacy would endure for generations.
“Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un,” the statement added, praying that Allah forgives his shortcomings and grants him Aljannatul Firdaus.
Details of the Janazah prayer and burial arrangements will be announced later.
Tukur, a former governor of the old Gongola State, Minister of Industries, businessman and presidential aspirant, had a career spanning public administration, politics, business and economic advocacy.
He rose to national prominence as General Manager and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, from the mid-1970s into the early 1980s.
He became governor of old Gongola State, now Adamawa and Taraba States, in October 1983 on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, but his tenure lasted about three months before the military coup of December 31, 1983.
During the Ibrahim Babangida transition, he contested for president on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention, NRC, in the botched Third Republic, and later served as Minister of Industries under General Sani Abacha in the 1990s.
Outside government, he established business interests under the DADDO Group and championed private-sector participation in Africa’s economic development as Executive President of the African Business Roundtable and Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group.
He also served as Vice Chairman of the International Ports and Harbours Association and Chairman of the International Cargo Handling Association.
Tukur was elected National Chairman of the PDP in March 2012 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. His tenure witnessed internal crisis that led to the emergence of the “New PDP” faction in 2013. He resigned in January 2014 and was later appointed Ambassador-at-Large.
He held the traditional titles of Tafidan Adamawa and Wakilin Ganye and was a recipient of the Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON.
In 2023, President Bola Tinubu, in a tribute to mark Tukur’s 88th birthday, described his career as one spanning Nigeria’s private and public sectors.
His death marks the end of a long public career spanning Nigeria’s post-independence public service, the Second and Third Republics and the Fourth Republic.
