SDP leadership responsible for Gana’s name exclusion on INEC list ― Campaign Organisation

THE Presidential Campaign Organisation of the Social Democratic Party, on Tuesday accused the leadership of the Party of being responsible for the exclusion of Professor Jerry Gana’s name on the final list of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the Candidate of the Party ahead of the Presidential election.

Addressing news in Abuja yesterday on the development , the Director General of the Organisation, Dr Ike Neliaku, raised the alarm that rather than for the leadership of the Party ‎to carry out the judgment of an FCT High Court, Abuja which recognised Professor Gana as the Party’s authentic Candidate, its leadership had been using delay tactics in order to deny him the opportunity.

The DG Stated that just immediately after the Court made the pronouncement, Gana met with the leadership of the Party for consultations on the next line of action and that both the Party’s National Chairman and the National Secretary, Chief Olu Falae and Alhaji Shehu Musa Gaban assured to act on it immediately but only developed cold feets shortly due to unknown reasons.

He lamented that the Campaign ‎Organisation was shocked when the leadership of the Party was now insisting that it was waiting for the outcome of an Appeal pending on the matter which it claimed would be delivered any time this week and wondered how it was sure that the judgement would be against Gana.

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According to him, “As would have been observed from the list published by the INEC, suffice it to state that by virtue of the subsisting judgment and order of FCT High Court per Corem Justice H B Yusuf, the INEC has obeyed the Order of Court by removing the name of Mr Donald Duke from the list, as directed by the Court.

“‎As a law-abiding Commission, the INEC did its part and expected the leadership of the SDP to obey the same Court Order by forwarding the name of Prof Jerry Gana to the Commission according to the law.

“Without any ambiguity, the matter of the Presidential Candidacy of the SDP in the 2019 election ought to be fully rested by now, given the subsisting judgment of the FCT High Court, Unfortunately, the mishandling of this weighty matter and the open bias displayed by the National Chairman of the Party, Chief Olu Falae, in the face of a clear Order of the Court of competent jurisdiction, remain incomprehensible and his motives and integrity questionable.

“It has now become very clear that the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the State, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam ‎without recourse to other members of the NWC have continued to act as though the Party is a private venture.

“I hereby state categorically that it has always been obvious and we say so on good authority that the duo have script other than the interest of the Party, which they have manipulated thus far and henceforth continue no more.

“Otherwise, how does one explain their stand on this matter, in spite of the fact that the majority of the NWC members, State Chairmen and party faithful have continued to cry and shout across the country, insisting that Prof Gana’s name be submitted to INEC, instead of subscribing to the demand of the majority, the duo have resorted to direct threats, intimidation and suspension of those who dare their actions.”

He, however, stated that despite the attitudes of the leadership of the Party on the matter, “our confidence remains intact in the God of justice, as well as the avowed integrity of the judiciary.”

The DG then declared that, “it is our expectation that the credible leaders of the SDP and our teeming supporters, will rise and rescue this Party from the hands of traders, merchants and transactionalists ‎saying, this is not about Prof. Jerry Gana, it is about right versus wrong, it is about the destiny of millions of Nigerians whose lives have been mismanaged.”

This came just as the Youth wing of the Party gave its leadership a 24-hour ultimatum within which to submit the name of ‎Gana as the Presidential Candidate of the Party in-line with FCT High court’s judgement on the matter until there is another superior judgement.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, the National Youth leader of the Party, Comrade Sternly Nwanka vowed to do the needful in ensuring that the available court judgement was carried out to the letter within the shortest time possible.

He demanded that the National Chairman of the party as a matter of urgency should the name of Gana to INEC pending an alternative judgment by Higher ‎Court.

According to him, “This we expect to be done within the next 24 hours, considering the fact that this has lingered since December 14th 2018, when the High Court Ruling was given and also in fairness to the enormous contributions of Prof Jerry Gana to the Party.

The Youths also gave the National Secretary of the Party, Alhaji Gabam, a 24 hours within which to vacate his office in line with the Constitution of the Party haven been nominated as the running mate to Mr Duke.

The Youths in their numbers latter headed to the National Secretariat of the party in the Maitama District of Abuja where they staged a peaceful demonstration to drive home their demand and promised to return in full force to execute the ‎judgement after the expiration of their ultimatum.

The FCT High Court, Abuja, presided by Justice H B Yusuf ‎had nullified the election of the former Governor of Cross Rivers State, Mr Donald Duke, as the Presidential Candidate of the Party in the election and directed the INEC to recognise Prof Gana as the authentic Candidate of the Party in a suit brougjt before him on the matter.

Consequently, the INEC obeyed the Court ruling by removing. Duke’s name from its record but the leadership of the Party did not submit Gana’s name which prompted the Commission to published the finalist without any Candidate for the Party.

However, while reacting to the development in the Party, its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Alfa Mohammed said that it was only the National Chairman of the Party, Chief Falae who could explain the rationale behind non submission of Gana’s name to the INEC‎ as directed by the court.

The NPS said that some other organs of the Party as well as the Women Parliament of the Party and the majority of the members of the ‎NWC were not happy about the development but quickly pointed out that the matter at stake would soon be history.

He stated that despite the seeming delay in resolving the issues at stake, efforts were going on at the grassroots to mobilise the electorate for the polls.