EMEKA NZE examines the confusion in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) due to the verdict of the Federal High Court which says Prof Jerry Gana is the presidential flag bearer against the candidacy of Mr Donald Duke who emerged at the primaries
SDP in delimma
The Social Democratic Party (SDP), a reincarnated party of the military junta is apparently suffused in a chaotic state, which currently threatens its participation in the 2019 presidential election.
Only last week, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja declared Prof Jerry Gana the rightful candidate to contest the presidential election instead of the winner of the presidential primaries, the former Governor of Cross Rivers state, Mr Donald Duke.
Duke in October had emerged the presidential flag bearer of the party with over 812 votes while Gana came second with 611 votes, secured by the former. However, Gana went to court seeking that it should declare him the winner in line with the zoning and rotation formula of the party’s constitution.
In his judgement, Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf held that the regulations contained in the party’s constitution were binding on every member and therefore must be obeyed.
He held that the zoning and rotation formula as contained in the party’s constitution stipulated that both the chairman of the party and the flag bearer should not come from the same zone.
Rotational principle
“In this instance, the party’s chairman, Chief Olu Falae, is from the South and Duke is from the South too; the law is clear; there is nothing to write in-between.
“The law has crystallised that political parties should abide by the regulations which they have made by themselves.
“The claimant laid sufficient evidence to have the judgment in his favour; it is a clear violation of the party’s constitution; the court cannot wave right over illegality,” he held.
The judge, therefore, declared Gana the winner of SDP presidential primary election conducted on Oct. 6. He also declared Duke’s 812 votes null and void, and ordered SDP to forward Gana’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the party’s flag bearer for the 2019 presidential election.
Is SDP doomed?
The present state of the party reminisce its fate in 1993 presidential election which it won through the business mogul Moshood Abiola but was never allowed to occupy the Aso Rock Vila by the Babangida led military junta. The government of the day chose to see the election as inconclusive and therefore claimed it could not handover to a winner of an inconclusive election.
Evidently, there seem to be an omen of ill luck hovering over the name SDP, which is only manifest at presidential contests and which tends to deprive it of occupation of Aso Rock when it eventually wins.
At the merger between SDP and a splinter group from the PDP which Gana spearheaded, the party became the real third force, a beautiful bride that attracted membership from both PDP and APC. However, typical of a beautiful bride, its popularity began to nose-dive when the contest for power into the various offices of the party became very keen.
First was between the original members of the party and new entrants. While they were able to manage other problems and kept them from the prying eyes of news hounds, the post of the National Publicity Secretary earlier zoned to the South South became the albatross.
Between Alfa Mohammed, who was occupying the office prior to the merger, and Mrs Gold, who became the new NPS, it was a fight to finish until she was eased out on the grounds of ‘incompetence’ for the same Mohammed.
Gana’s antics
It was equally obvious that trouble was looming in the party preparatory to the presidential primaries. Despite five other aspirants campaigning to become the party flag bearer, the former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana had carried on as if he was an unopposed candidate of the party.
While other aspirants, acknowledged him as a co-contestant in their campaign speeches, Gana never gave them such recognition.
His campaigns were usually against the ruling party as if he had already become the candidate. At a time, many people thought that his candidature was already a fait accompli having been solidly backed by the party but the party had on many occasions struggled to debunk it.
When he was surprisingly trounced by Duke at the primaries that held at the old parade ground Abuja, it was clear that Gana was up to something.
First, he and John Dara evaded the meeting at the party’s headquarters where other presidential aspirants – Prof Iyorwuese Hagher and Mike Osakwe had come to show solidarity to Duke. It was at same venue that Duke to present his manifesto for the first time.
Also Gana through his campaign group, at a press conference had also threatened court action should the party fail to retrieve his mandate from Duke on the grounds of rotation which he argued was the turn of the North to produce a Presidential candidate of the party.
Supreme Court the answer?
Although an official of the party has argued that Gana’s position lacked merit as the Supreme Court had already decided on the matter of rotation as inconsistent with the constitution which gives citizens equal right to vie for positions irrespective of the region of the country they come from.
The party official cited the presidential contest of 2003 where Alhaji Abubakar Rimi contested against President Obasanjo despite the fact that PDP had zoned the presidential to the South
