Gana demands Duke’s nullification as SDP presidential candidate

Former Information of Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana, has asked the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Maitama, to void the candidature of Donald Duke as the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) presidential candidate.
Prof Gana, who defected from the PDP to the SDP along with former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu, contested the SDP presidential ticket with Chief Duke, who had initially defected from the PDP to the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) before finally dumping them for the SDP.
Duke,  a former Cross River Governor, polled 812 votes to defeat his closed rival, Prof. Gana, who polled 611 votes at the party’s national convention held at Old Parade Ground, Abuja, on October 7.
However, at the court, Gana through his counsel argued that the process that produced the party’s flag bearer violated the SDP constitution and therefore the result of the exercise should be nullified.
The matter, which was slated for mentioning yesterday, was stalled due to the indisposition of the judge, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, owing to ill health.
However, the claimant, Prof. Gana, who was present in court yesterday, was represented in the proceeding by Pius Akubo (SAN), J.A. Abraham (SAN), Joshua Musa (SAN) and Innocent Daagba, among others.
The first to fifth defendants were represented by Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN). No counsel announced appearance for the sixth defendant, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Akubo informed the court that the counsel had conferred and agreed that a short adjournment be granted to allow the judge recover fully and to enable the claimant counsel respond to the processes served on him by the defendant’s counsel last Friday.
The parties agreed to come back on November 13 for hearing.