Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Muhammad Tukur, has died at the age of 90.
Tukur, a former Governor of the old Gongola State and former Minister of Industries, died on Saturday, September 12, 2026.
His death brings to an end the life of one of Nigeria’s most enduring political and business figures, whose public career spanned several decades and several political eras.
Tukur was born on September 15, 1935, and would have turned 91 in three days.
He served as Governor of the old Gongola State in 1983 before the military coup that ended the Second Republic.
He later became a prominent businessman and served as General Manager of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
He also served as Minister of Industries during the administration of the late General Sani Abacha.
Tukur returned to the centre of Nigeria’s political affairs decades later when he emerged as National Chairman of the PDP in March 2012.
His tenure came at a turbulent period for the party, which was then struggling with deep divisions involving governors, lawmakers and prominent party leaders.
He eventually resigned as PDP National Chairman in January 2014 amid intense internal pressure and political disagreements.
Beyond Nigerian politics, Tukur held major positions in African business circles.
He served as Executive President of the African Business Roundtable and Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group.
President Bola Tinubu, while celebrating Tukur’s 88th birthday in 2023, described him as a former governor, businessman and elder statesman whose experience spanned Nigeria’s public and private sectors.
Tukur was also a recipient of the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON.
His political career was not without controversy.
As PDP chairman, he presided over one of the most difficult periods in the party’s history, including the emergence of the breakaway New PDP faction led by prominent governors and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
Yet, beyond party battles, Tukur remained a major figure in Nigeria’s political history for more than half a century.
In 2015, when reports suggested that he might retire from politics following the PDP’s defeat in the presidential election, Tukur famously rejected the idea.
He said only death could separate him from politics.
That chapter has now closed.
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Bamanga Tukur is survived by his family.
Details surrounding his death, including the circumstances and burial arrangements, were not immediately available as of the time of filing this report.
ValidViewNetwork will continue to update this report as more information emerges.
