The news of Social Democratic Party (SDP)’s endorsement of candidate Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for the forthcoming February 16 Presidential election was received with mixed feelings. The decision for the purported endorsement was taking at a meeting of the party's National Executive Council (NEC), held in Abuja. The communiqué issued on Thursday, February 7, at the end of the meeting read in part “the SDP has resolved to adopt President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President candidate, Prof Yemi Osinbanjo of the All Progressives Congress as the candidates of the party (SDP) for the 2019 Presidential election.election’.

Recall that the party’s National Convention held on October 6, 2018 produced Donald Duke as the flag bearer. Regrettably, the party has ever since being enmeshed in court cases. While delivering judgement in a suit filed by Jerry Gana, an High Court of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Friday, 14 December, 2018 sacked Donald Duke as SDP's Presidential candidate and subsequently declared Jerry Gana as the legitimate candidate. The High Court held that the emergence of Duke violated the zoning and rotational formula provided in section 15(3) of the party’s constitution.

However, the Court of Appeal, Abuja division on Thursday, 24 January, 2019 set aside the judgement of the lower court and pronounced Duke as the SDP Presidential candidate. Jerry Gana has thereafter appealed the judgement at the Supreme Court. The decision of the apex court is being awaited, even as the Presidential election is few weeks away. This prolonged legal battle has sapped the party's energy and this was said to has necessitated Buhari's endorsement.

Ironically, SDP is one of the few political parties that can boast of structures in the whole of 36 States of the Federation and FCT. This same party has the capacity to be the third force and viable alternative to the ruling APC and the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Unfortunately, lack of internal democracy and effective conflict resolution mechanism turned a supposed third force to a mere political association with no political consequence.

https://www.olamilite.com/2019/02/re-sdp-endorsement-of-buhari.html