Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bamanga Tukur, has died at the age of 90.
Family sources confirmed his death on Saturday, although details surrounding his passing were not immediately disclosed.
Born on September 15, 1935, Tukur was a politician, businessman and public administrator who served as governor of the defunct Gongola State, which comprised present-day Adamawa and Taraba states, during the Second Republic.
He began his public service career at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), where he served as General Manager from 1975 to 1982. He later ventured into elective politics and won the Gongola governorship election in 1983. His tenure was cut short by the military coup in December of that year.
After leaving public office, Tukur founded BHI Holdings, popularly known as the DADDO Group of Companies, and expanded his activities in the private sector.
He returned to government in 1993 as Minister of Industries under the military administration of General Sani Abacha, serving until 1995.
Tukur also played prominent roles in African economic affairs, serving as Executive President of the African Business Roundtable and chairman of the NEPAD Business Group. He also held advisory positions with several international trade organisations.
In March 2012, he was elected National Chairman of the PDP with the backing of then-President Goodluck Jonathan. He resigned from the position in January 2014 following prolonged internal disagreements within the party.
Tukur, who held the traditional title of Tafidan Adamawa, was honoured by the Nigerian government with the national award of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). He was also conferred with the Commander of the Order of the Mono (COM) by the Republic of Togo.
He is survived by his wives, children and grandchildren.