- Donald Duke has vowed to appeal the judgment which removed him as the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2019 elections
- A Federal High Court had ruled that Duke’s votes from the party's primaries were null and void and that Prof Jerry Gana was the winner of the election
- Duke, however, urged his supporters and party members to remain calm, expressing confidence that the decision of the court will be upturned on appeal
Donald Duke, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), says he will appeal the judgment removing him as the party’s presidential flag bearer.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday, December 14, declared Prof Jerry Gana, a former Nigerian minister of information, as the presidential candidate of the SDP.
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Legit.ng notes that Duke had been declared as the presidential candidate of the party after the primary election held in October 2018, in which Gana was also an aspirant.
However, Gana had instituted a case against the result in court, basing his case on the zoning and rotation formula of the party.
Giving his ruling, Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf said: “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.”
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Duke’s votes were declared null and void and the judge declared that Gana was the winner of the election. The SDP was also ordered to forward Gana’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its candidate for the 2019 general election.
In a chat with newsmen in Lagos, Duke, however, stated: “While we await a copy of the judgement for a detailed review, it is imperative we reiterate our constitutionally backed belief.
"Every Nigerian who meets the legal requirement is entitled to contest for the office of the president. Any law that seeks to curtail or subvert that right under any guise is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect.
“The delegates of our great party at its convention in October, overwhelmingly elected me as their presidential flag-bearer. Any attempt to subvert their wishes through the instrumentality of the courts will be challenged.
“As a law abiding citizen, I urge my supporters and members to remain calm as we are confident that the decision of the court will be upturned on appeal. We are optimistic that the Appellate Court will reach a decision that reinforces the essential tenets of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Social Democratic Party formalised the substitution of its 2019 presidential candidate’s running mate, Dr Junaid Mohammed, with Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, who is also the national secretary of the party.
SDP national publicity secretary, Alfa Mohammed, who gave the confirmation on Thursday, December 13 in Abuja, said that the substitution was done long ago.
He said that Junaid’s substitution was subjected to deliberation at the party’s leadership level which he was a member of.
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