Feb 16: SDP adopts Buhari

The National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has  adopted President Muhammadu Buhari as its candidate for the Feb 16 presidential election.

Reports say the decision was reached at the NEC meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

The SDP was one of the parties, along with GDPN and Kowa  that distanced themselves from the loose coalition of parties by the PDP party as CUPP.

Moreover, the SDP is at present embroiled  with court cases over its candidate  for the presidential election.

Former minister  Prof Jerry Gana, and former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke, are fighting over the ticket.

According to Gana’s petition, the constitution of the party stipulates a power-sharing arrangement which does not allow the National Chairman and the presidential candidate to come from the same half of the country.

The national chairman is Olu Falae, from Ondo State in the south-west, while  Duke is from the South-south region. Mr Gana is from Niger State in the North-central region.

A Federal High Court in December 2018 granted Mr Gana’s prayers and declared him the winner of the presidential primary election of the party.

But Duke filed an appeal following which the Court of Appeal in January overturned the judgment of the lower court and reinstated Mr Duke as the SDP presidential candidate.

However, Mr Gana said he was still consulting with the party’s National Working Committee on the decision of the Court of Appeal in order to arrive at the next line of action.

It was along the consultation  that the announcement came on Thursday that the party had decided to back Mr Buhari for reelection.

The endorsement was by a faction led by the National Secretary of the party, Shehu Gabam who is also the running mate to Mr Duke in the SDP presidential ticket.