The Director General of the Professor Jerry Gana Campaign organization (G19), Ike Neliaku, has rejected the outcome of the Social Democratic Party (SDP)’s presidential primary which led to the emergence of Donald Duke as the party’s presidential candidate.
Neliaku who stated this at a Press Conference in Abuja on Wednesday, said since the chairmanship of the party has gone to the South West, the contest for presidential candidacy should have been limited to aspirants from the North.
He said the party went against its own zoning formula, adding that during the convention, the party’s leadership was alerted to the fact that aspirants from the south should not have participated because the presidential ticket was constitutionally zoned to the North.
“Sadly the matter of zoning was ignored, but our conditions are in line with the provisions of the SDP constitution on the principle of rotation and zoning of offices, contained in section 15.3(i&ii) of the party’s constitution,” he said.
Neliaku said since Chief Olu Falae, who is from the South, emerged the National chairman of the party, then “it follows that in accordance with the tenants of our party, that the contest of the party ought to have been restricted to aspirants from the North. So our advice which was ignored, was not merely wishful thinking, but a weighty constitutional matter”.
Donald Duke emerged the winner with a total of 812 votes at the party’s National convention which held on the 6th and 7th October 2018, while Professor Jerry Gana emerged second with a total of 611 votes.
