2019:  We’ll be neutral on Gana, Duke ― SDP

The leadership of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, on Saturday stated that it would continue to be neutral in the legal tussle between Professor Jerry Gana and the former Cross Rivers Governor Donald Duke over its presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections, saying that both of them were eminently to lead the party to victory.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Alfa Mohammed on its official position over the Abuja Federal High Court judgement which sacked Mr Duke and pronounced  Gana as the authentic presidential candidate.

It stated that that the leadership of the party after the judgement had resolved as follows, “that as a party which recognises the two eminent Nigerians as loyal party men with adequate intellectual competence to move Nigeria forward will continue to treat them as such

“SDP recognises the right of every citizen to seek redress in the court of law as done by Prof Jerry Gana, as well as the right to appeal judgements which Donald Duke has also promised to exercise.

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“Although the party will continue to maintain its impartial stance on the matter, it will continue to make itself available in the court when called upon to defend the primary election and the process involved.”

The party, therefore, enjoined all its members and supporters nationwide to go about their campaigns with the desired vigour and refrain from any conduct that might likely cause division in the party.

According to the statement, “we must be guided by the fact that whichever way the case goes, SDP will continue to have a formidable and promising candidate who needs to be delivered.”

The Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja presided by Justice H.Y Baba had on Friday sacked Mr Donald Duke, the Presidential Candidate of the party and declared Prof Gana as the rightful Candidate in the 2019 election.