The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has adopted President Muhammadu Buhari as its consensus candidate for the
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has adopted President Muhammadu Buhari as its consensus candidate for the 2019 election. The decision was reached at the party’s NEC meeting in Abuja on Thursday. The Director of Media and Publicity, Yemi Akinbode, said the party also suspended its National Publicity Secretary, Alfa Muhammad for indulging in anti party activities.
Akinbode said that the party was not going into merger with the APC but explained the party’s decision was due to its inability to present a consensus candidate. This, he explained, was due to a lingering legal battle between Donald Duke, the winner of the SDP presidential primaries and his major challenger, Prof. Jerry Gana.
“We, therefore, feel that it is imperative to technically withdraw from the presidential election and focus on the National Assembly, governorship and state assembly elections, for which we have fielded candidates across the country.”
But a faction of the party loyal to a former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana, yesterday dissociated itself from the adoption of Buhari. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Alfa Mohammed, in a statement said the soul of the party remained in the hands of those he called “SDP Patriots” led by Gana. Mohammed said the party would not have found itself in a tight corner if the National Chairman, Chief Olu Falae; and the National Secretary, Alhaji Shehu Gabam, had heeded wise counsel by majority of the National Working Committee (NWC) members against appealing the judgment of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, which gave the party ticket to Gana.
He said Gana remained the only person that could give SDP members the direction to follow during the presidential election. He added that the former minister would give the direction after due consultations with appropriate leaders and stakeholders.
