An FCT High Court in Maitama on Friday declared a former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, the winner of the presidential primary election of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) conducted on October 6.

The party had declared a former Governor of Cross River, Mr. Donald Duke, the winner of the election and its flag bearer for the 2019 General Elections.

The party said that Duke polled 812 votes while Gana had 611.

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 held that the regulations contained in the party’s constitution were binding on every member and must be obeyed.

He held that the zoning and rotation formula as contained in the party’s constitution stipulated that both the chairman of the party and the flag bearer should not come from the same zone.

“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,” he held.

The judge, therefore, declared Gana the winner of SDP presidential primary election conducted on Oct. 6.

He also declared Duke’s 812 votes null and void, and 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, he ordered that Duke should stop parading himself as the party’s flag bearer for the elections.

Gana had joined SDP, its National Chairman, Chief Olu Falae; National Secretary, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam; Chairman, SDP Presidential Screening Panel/ Deputy National Chairman, South, Prof. Tunde Adeniran; Duke and INEC as defendants in the suit.

Gana sought a declaration that Duke was not eligible to stand as a candidate in the party’s presidential primaries held on Oct. 6, in Abuja.

He also sought a declaration of the court that he ought to have been declared the winner of the SDP presidential primary election, having polled the highest valid votes in the said election.

The former minister wanted an order of the court declaring him the validly elected flag bearer of the party for the 2019 General Elections.

Gana also sought a perpetual injunction restraining Duke from parading himself as the SDP presidential candidate for the elections, among other reliefs.

He had argued that under Article 15(3) of the SDP Constitution, the office of the national chairman of the party and the presidential candidacy shall rotate between the northern and southern parts of the country.

(NAN)


https://punchng.com/breaking-jerry-gana-is-sdp-presidential-candidate-court-rules/

oya na.... e don burst

The thing is a two horse race....una dey sufa una self...

He held that the zoning and rotation formula as contained in the party’s constitution stipulated that both the chairman of the party and the flag bearer should not come from the same zone.

Zone and parts and not same hence error in judgment.

He had argued that under Article 15(3) of the SDP Constitution, the office of the national chairman of the party and the presidential candidacy shall rotate between the northern and southern parts of the country.

Is Southwest and South-south in the same zone?

Na waa for Nigerian Courts.

We have six immigration zonal headquarters in Nigeria and not two (North and South)

if dis one wins the 2019 election.... i am exchanging my balls 4 gala

Trust Gana to openly Atikulate for his Oga soon. And some were relying on Duke to act the spoiler for PDP especially in the SS.

Whoever it is will still lose, nothing changed.

Gana or ghana or abi na zambia.

This man will fail woefully together with that pot bellied pdp candidate.

The only candidate we patriots know is Buhari and he will rule our great nation till 2023 by the special grace of God

Buhari tll 2023

Really Jerry Gana favored against Donald Duke? Nigeria is in some big doom

What is a Jerry Gana?.. Presidential candidate of Nigeria abi Ghana?.. Goodluck with his binary number votes from each polling booth, 0 or 1

Serves the low budget Obama right, let him join BMC and fully concentrate on his hack job.

Duke can now attend the presidential election debate.

I see Donald Duke bus for ph last month
Jerry Gana na destiny hijacker

Na wa o

Lmao
Congratulations to Buhari in advance abegi

Very good judgement
Let Duke taste a little juice of political pains

Too Much drama in this country

Fed up. Now that he has taken the entire hierarchy of his party to court how does he expect to win. Our stupidity in this country has no match in the known universe.

You sha dey fine where to throw away your money ba.... No wahala
Nigerians will show you... SDP

Jerry Ghana.....It's well with Nigeria

baliyubla:
Trust Gana to openly Atikulate for his Oga soon. And some were relying on Duke to act the spoiler for PDP especially in the SS.

Duke will score more votes in Lagos than SS.

Duke to declared his new party soon

thaught duke was running his mouth earlier today.

while he have case in court to answer, justice has been served accordingly

months back donald duke was invited as a guest speaker in a student dinner in UNN.duke left the subject and was campaigning for himself..... se you want to be president, oya continue na

sanpipita:
Serves the low budget Obama right, let him join BMC and fully concentrate on his hack job.

Why would SDP, Gana and or Duke willfully decide to waste scarce resources.

Is there any benefit attached to being referred to as 'a one time presidential candidate'?

SDP Kor, SMS Ni

If Una like bring MKO back, nothing for una.

Reference:
Fed up. Now that he has taken the entire hierarchy of his party to court how does he expect to win. Our stupidity in this country has no match in the known universe.

All the mushroom political parties that sprung up across the country knows fully well that they can't smell the presidency, but it is all about positioning themselves solely for egunje and their stomachs, in my honest opinion.

Nigeria only has 2 political parties, PDP and APC the rest are kulikuli and pepper soup parties, they eventually get settled along the line and they support either PDP or Apc, nonsense

The man wey abuse pdp have lost

Holumhidey:
if dis one wins the 2019 election....
i am exchanging my balls 4 gala

Gala keh..i will openly metamorphose into something more daring and deadlier than bobrisky...thats a fact

What is wrong with this old man sef
He has been in almost every government in this country for as far back as I can remember
He left no particular achievement in any of them (I stand to be corrected though )
Just when a shining light was emerging and shinning so bright, this spoiler of a Man came up with a useless cacophony called zoning and that presiding judge too has left a lot to be considered in the lopsided judgement he just delivered. I mean when did SW and SS become one zone in Nigeria
And to think that these are the very people that called the youths leaders of tomorrow.
I sang that song as a kid and now my kids are singing them too yet those old recycled goons ain't letting any free space for us
Chai!
May God help this Country