Why SDP has no anointed presidential candidate, by Falae

National Chairman, Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Olu Falae has said the party would conduct an open, free and fair presidential primary to select its candidate for the 2019 election.

The erstwhile Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) also said the party has no preferred anointed candidate. He stressed that all SDP is after is to select the best material among its aspirants that would drive development, growth, unity and the greatness of the nation.

In a brief interaction with The Guardian at the 80th birthday of pioneer Editor-in-Chief of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Professor Victor Olufemi Adefela held in Lagos recently, the SDP national chairman appealed to Nigerians to vote the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) out of government in the next coming election and not to consider returning the erstwhile ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to power in 2019.

According to him, “The two parties have delivered their best, which has translated to nothing for the country. The PDP was in power for 16 years and could not move the country forward likewise the APC’s three years of governance has not been of any benefit to the country.”

The SGF however urged Nigerians to consider voting for SDP, which he described as the fastest growing political party in the country as of now.

According to him, “For so many reasons best known to Nigerians, they are flocking to SDP as their preferred brand ahead of the 2019 general elections. We will not disappoint our citizens and we are promising to give Nigerians a credible candidate as well as responsible representatives at the federal, state and local government levels and we would also ensure that anybody that would be appointed to manage public office posses the necessary qualities and values. We are going to give Nigerians a country of their dream that is different from the current situation where our youths are running to foreign nations in search of green pastures.”

When asked if there is any preferred candidate already, his response was in the negative, saying, “Not at all, not even you. We have no person in mind, we are transparent equal opportunity and chose the most credible among our presidential aspirants.”

On the scheduled July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State, Falae said SDP dust the ruling PDP and the major opposition APC in the exercise giving the instance of the free and fair primary election conducted by the party compared with what happened in APC and PDP.

According to him, “We have it on first hand information that our party is the bride of the people of Ekiti.”