Exclusion of Prof Gana’s name on INEC’s list tears S/W SDP apart

The crisis rocking the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on Wednesday took another dimension, as the Southwest Coordinator of SDP Forum of Secretaries of Jerry Gana Campaign Organisation, Dr Sola Agboola, warned the party against disobeying the court on the substitution of the name of the party’s candidate for the forthcoming presidential election.

Agboola who noted that failure of the party to forward Gana’s name as the party’s candidate for the election to INEC would lead to the disintegration of the party if not addressed immediately.

Agboola who stated this in Akure, Ondo State capital, urged the party leadership to obey the rule of law by forwarding Gang’s name as the party presidential flag bearer, saying the failure of the NWC of SDP to forward Gana’s name despite court order amounted to contempt of court.

Agboola blamed the non-display of the name on the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party that refused to forward Gana’s name to INEC despite the order of an Abuja High Court.

He explained that Donald Duke was declared the party’s standard-bearer during the last national convention of the party but said Gana who was dissatisfied with the outcome of the convention went to court to challenge the outcome of the convention.

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Agboola said the court gave the party’s ticket to Gana, while Duke went to Court of Appeal to challenge the verdict of the lower court and also filed a stay of execution of order.

However, Agboola said the motion for stay of execution has been withdrawn which paved way for the implementation of the order to forward Gana’s name to INEC.

He expressed regret that Abuja High Court’s pronouncement which nullified Duke’s candidature and ordered that Prof. Jerry Gana’s name is forwarded to INEC has not been obeyed by the party despite the withdrawal of the stay of execution.

He said, “the only option left for the NWC to regain the confidence, loyalty and respect of their teeming supporters is for the National leadership of the party to ensure strict compliance with the court order before any appeal court verdict.

“It doesn’t matter where the pendulum swings, it is a shame that some people are proud to be leaders of a party which is renown for not presenting Presidential candidates as it was in the year 2015.”