Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former governor of the defunct Gongola State, Bamanga Tukur, has died at the age of 90.
Tukur died on Saturday, September 12, 2026, three days before his 91st birthday. His family confirmed his death, with further details on his burial expected to be announced.
Born on September 15, 1935, Tukur began his career at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), where he served as General Manager from 1975 to 1982.
He was elected governor of Gongola State in 1983, but his administration was cut short by the military coup later that year. He subsequently served as Minister of Industries under the military government of General Sani Abacha from 1993 to 1995.
Tukur later returned to partisan politics and became PDP National Chairman in March 2012. He resigned in January 2014 following prolonged internal disagreements within the party.
He also held leadership positions in the African Business Roundtable and the NEPAD Business Group and was the holder of the traditional title, Tafidan Adamawa.
Reacting to his death, Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri described Tukur as a major contributor to the political, economic and industrial development of Nigeria.
Fintiri declared three days of mourning across the state in honour of the late elder statesman.
President Bola Tinubu also mourned Tukur, describing him as a towering figure whose career spanned governance, business, politics and pan-African economic leadership.
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