Donald Duke has been sacked as SDP Presidential candidate by an FCT High Court in Maitama, while former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, was declared the winner of the presidential primary election SDP conducted on October 6.
Donald Duke, who had previously been declared the winner after he polled 812 votes against Gana’s 611 in the presidential primary election of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, conducted on October 6 was sacked.
According to the judge, 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 region.
“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.
He then declared Gana the winner of SDP presidential primary election.
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 next year’s election.
