SDP adopts Jonathan; Gov. Aliyu forgives Buhari

The Social Democratic Party (SDP), on Tuesday in Abuja endorsed the candidature of President Goodluck Jonathan in the Feb. 14 presidential election. The National Publicity of SDP, Dr Abdul Isiaq, said this at a news conference in Abuja.

He said that the party reached the decision following the report of a committee set up by its National Executive Committee on adoption of presidential candidates. The National Chairman of the party, Chief Olu Falae, had hinted of the party’s decision to adopt a presidential candidate.

He said that the development followed the inability of the party to produce its candidate. Isiaq said that the committee, in the report presented to the National Chairman of SDP, observed that of all the presidential candidates, only that of PDP formally requested for the party’s support. He said that the committee also observed that PDP had also accepted the SDP’s required conditions to warrant the party’s support.

Isiag said that part of the conditions was that PDP would faithfully implement the 2014 National Conference report as a basis for restructuring Nigeria. Others, he added, were adoption of policy of zero tolerance for corruption and intensification of efforts to defeat insurgency in the North East, among others.

“Based on the foregoing observations, the committee has unanimously recommended that SDP should endorse and support the candidature of Jonathan. “This is to enable him to complete the restructuring of the polity based on the report of the National Conference 2014. “The party has accepted these recommendations and hereby directed all its supporters and members throughout Nigeria to vote for Jonathan’’, Isiaq said.

Isiaq, who was also the Chairman of the committee, however, stressed that the support was limited strictly to the presidential election. According to him, it does not extend to any other elections, adding that SDP has candidates for other elections. “SDP is determined to contest and win all the elections for which it has sponsored candidates throughout Nigeria and thereby become the credible alternative which it aspires to be.’’

Gov. Babangida Aliyu of Niger on Tuesday said he had forgiven the presidential candidate of the APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, for truncating his political career in 1983. Aliyu stated this at the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential campaign in Minna “Many people think I have sympathy for Buhari, my career was truncated by him. In 1983, the people of Minna elected me into the House of Representatives, but he truncated it.

“I was annoyed before but I have forgiven him because it gave me opportunity to go for my masters degree”, he added. “Buhari may be honest and we may admire his personal qualities, but that does not translate into public qualities”, Aliyu added. He called on members of the party not to be intimidated by the opposition, adding that victory was certain for the PDP in the elections. Aliyu commended President Jonathan’s revolution in the agriculture sector of the economy, adding that agriculture would soon replace oil money.