Tobias Sylvester
An FCT High Court in Maitama has declared, a former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
After the SDP’s primary election that was conducted on October 6, 2018, the party declared the former Governor of Cross River, Mr. Donald Duke, the winner of the election and its flag bearer for the 2019 General Elections with 812 votes over Gana who polled 611 votes.
However, Gana went to court seeking that it would declare him the winner in line with the zoning and rotation formula of the party’s constitution.
In his judgement, 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.”
The judge, therefore, declared Gana the winner of SDP presidential primary election conducted on Oct. 6.
Donald Duke’s 812 votes were declared null and void, and the court 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.
In addition, the court ordered that Duke should stop parading himself as the party’s flag bearer for the elections.
