Jerry Gana, a former minister of information emerged the new presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) following the judgement of Hussein Baba-Yusuf at the FCT High Court in Maitama, Abuja on Friday.
The party had earlier declared former Governor of Cross River, Donald Duke, who won the primary election held on October 6 with a total of 812 votes as its flag bearer for the 2019 presidential Election.
Gana, who got 611 votes, proceeded to the law court to seek redress on the grounds that the result was against the zoning and rotation formula as enshrined in the party’s constitution.
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In his verdict, Hussein held that the regulations contained in the party’s constitution were binding on every member and must be obeyed. He argued that the zoning and rotation formula as contained in the party’s constitution required that both the chairman of the party and the presidential flag bearer should not come from the same zone.
“In this instance, the party’s Chairman, Olu Falae, is from the South and Duke is from the South too; the law is clear; there is nothing to write in-between,” he said. “The law has crystallised that political parties should abide by the regulations which they have made by themselves.”
He said that: “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,”
Hussein, therefore, declared Gana the winner of SDP presidential primary election conducted on October 6, rendered 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.
Faminu Gbemi
