Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is dead.
He was aged 90.
Tukur’s death was confirmed by family sources on Saturday, although details surrounding his death were not immediately available at the time of filing this report.
Born on September 15, 1935, Tukur was a businessman, politician and former governor of the old Gongola State, which comprised present-day Adamawa and Taraba states.
He began his public career as the General Manager of the Nigerian Ports Authority, a position he held between 1975 and 1982.
He later ventured into politics and was elected governor of Gongola State in 1983. However, his administration was cut short by the military coup that brought the Second Republic to an end later that year.
Following his tenure as governor, Tukur returned to the private sector and founded BHI Holdings, also known as the DADDO Group of Companies. He subsequently served as Minister of Industries under the military administration of the late General Sani Abacha between 1993 and 1995.
Tukur also played a prominent role in African business circles, serving as Executive President of the African Business Roundtable and Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group. He held several other positions in international business and investment organisations.
In March 2012, Tukur emerged as the National Chairman of the PDP with the backing of former President Goodluck Jonathan. He resigned from the position in January 2014 following months of internal crisis within the party.
Tukur, who held the traditional title of Tafidan Adamawa, was also a recipient of the national honours of Commander of the Order of the Mono and Commander of the Order of the Niger.