Social Democratic Party (SDP) Pulls Out Of CUPP Coalition, Set To Rescue Nigeria

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  • Shehu Gabam named as Vice Presidential candidate of SDP presidential candidate, Donald Duke

As Nigeria continues to face the challenges of security of lives, property, individual well-being, social chaos and political uncertainty, economic crisis and widespread domestic and external fears about the future, the SDP is out to reassure all Nigerians and the comity of nations at the regional and international levels that it is fully ready to resolve and rescue the country from the lingering challenges. That was one of the resolutions reached at our expanded caucus meeting held at the national headquarters yesterday being the 10th day of December 2018.

The meeting reviewed the state of the nation, the ongoing debates and controversies among political Parties, especially regarding the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) and our Party’s campaign agenda.

Considering the attention which the purported endorsement of the PDP presidential candidate for the 2019 by (CUPP) has generated, it has become expedient for the leadership of the SDP to examine the endorsement as was reported by in the media; and come up with a categorical official statement on the matter.

Consequently, the meeting was carried through the stages of the party’s journey to the pioneering membership of the CUPP, having its members playing major roles in drawing up the necessary frameworks for the alliance and in developing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was to guide the operations of the coalition.

It all started in June 2018, when the PDP approached the leadership of our party with a view to having a working alliance. Convinced that with the emerging configuration of political forces, no single party would be able to win the presidential election of 2019 on its ow, as well as the need to change the frightening scenario of continuity, we inspired the setting up of a fifteen-man group comprising of three teams each, with five men from the PDP, five from the SDP and five from the nPDP (then a faction of the PDP). The team was to meet in subgroups as SDP-PDP, PDP-nPDP and SDP-nPDP before the meeting of all three teams.

The SDP met with the PDP five – man team and drafted MoU for the proposed coalition. The SDP later met with the nPDP team and discussed refinement of the draft MOU. The process abruptly terminated as the PDP and nPDP agreed to fuse into PDP and, within three days, announced a public signing of same MOU.

With a joint presidential ticket and a common platform that will usher in the formation of a “National Unity Government” in 2019 in view, MOU was signed by the cooperating parties at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Monday 9 July, 2018 spelling out how a Grand Patriotic Alliance to emerge from it would rescue, rebuild and reposition Nigeria to ensure security, peace and economic development. Among the key clauses of the MOU,

Clause 20 states “THAT the Parties shall promote acceptable core values for the restructuring of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, secure lives and property, rebuild and redirect our nation’s economy back onto the path of growth, respect human rights and freedoms, protect and uphold the cherished values of democracy and the democratic institutions and generally put right the country which unfortunately has now been dangerously divided along ethnic, religious and tribal lines”

And Clause 21 states:

“THAT the Parties shall encourage State alliances between themselves and other political parties to ensure that the cooperating parties under the Grand Alliance emerge victorious at State Governorship and State Legislature and National Assembly elections”.

In line with the foregoing, 40 Parties, including the SDP agreed and evolved a rainbow coalition which will unite behind a single joint presidential and vice presidential candidates; and put in place the machinery to ensure consultation and collective decision making process, the CUPP. The CUPP Committees were immediately set up and the parties agreed that the proposed Government shall be bound by a blueprint manifesto and a Government of National Unity. These were attractive enough to catch the attention of the participating parties and groups, including the SDP.

The SDP was active in the Steering Committee headed by Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola of the ADC Party and Blue Print Manifesto Group headed by Chief Tom Ikimi of PDP. The Blueprint Committee produced core policy areas, criteria for selection, process for selection, blueprint Manifesto and two sets of processing forms for each Party and its Presidential Candidate and Running-Mate.

The Steering Committee later set up a Selection Committee expected to be composed of members whose Parties would not be presenting Candidates for the Coalition’s Presidential ticket. As it turned out, the Committee was headed by Alhaji Buba Galadima while Chief Tom Ikimi was nominated to assist the Committee. Forms were subsequently given to all the participating parties; that is, all those who signed the 09 July, 2018 MoU.

At the meeting of the Selection Committee of 26 November, 2018, a total of 25 Parties submitted completed Forms back to the CUPP Selection Committee but the SDP was not in the meeting as it was still working on its forms which Alhaji Alfa Mohammed, the national publicity secretary and nominee to the meeting later submitted at the CUPP secretariat as directed.

The Selection Committee analysed all the twenty-five Parties including the SDP; and ranked the qualified Parties as PDP, ADC, SDP, PPN & DA in decreasing order. The Selection Committee presented its Report to Prince Oyinlola’s Steering Committee to enable the ultimate selection of the joint Presidential Candidate, joint Presidential Running Mate and the operating Platform by the CUPP group. It was also envisaged that all the participating parties would meet to share offices and functions in a GNU.

Regrettably, on the 05 December 2018, the Chairman of the Steering Committee held a press Conference to announced the endorsement of former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State as the joint Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates of the CUPP. He was challenged by other members and accused of jumping the gun. Prince Oyinlola called another meeting on Friday, 07 December, 2018 where he apologised and promised to call a bigger meeting Monday, 10 December 2018 for damage control.

On the whole, SDP noted that the precipitate action of the PDP truncated the success of the CUPP as a working coalition at the Presidential level while the leadership of the Steering Committee aborted it through disregard for the spirit of inclusiveness, unity and the shared vision that propelled the rainbow Coalition. It is worthy to mention that from the beginning, the SDP contributed significantly to the engendering of the concept, believing that the country needed and still needs some concerned Parties to go into the 2019 with a united front to be able to dislodge the non performing ruling Party and enthrone a competent and patriotic leadership that would unite the country and restore the greatness of the nation.

As earlier stated the, the alliance was forged on the premise of mutual understanding that all constituent political parties in the coalition would work together and that they would be guided by the spirit and letter of the MoU as signed. Each political party in the coalition was to produce its Presidential Candidate and at the end of it all, the candidates would be made to submit to a Committee that would assess and rate them based on agreed scales. The Candidate considered as meeting the set parameters and guidelines would be declared as the consensus Candidate of the CUPP coalition for the Presidential election. It was also expected that the Candidates would agree on who was best suited to run with the consensus candidate as Vice-Presidential Candidate while the Political Platform to use would also be issue of common agreement.

The PDP’s approach towards consensus building has now subjected the move to a major setback due to the following breaches of trust and the provisions of the MoU.

i. It is mainly PDP driven. The PDP runs it as if others must shape in or ship out.

ii. The PDP runs timelines to suffocate other Parties or to get to a point where events have already overtaken issues; like deadlines at INEC have run out.

iii. The PDP pressed on with its Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar , appointing his running Mate, DG of Campaign and all positions and, of course, making the selection of

any other platform impossible or impracticable however impeccable the platform could be.

iv. The PDP also displays some form of “ we can do it alone” type of arrogance

In view of the foregoing, and mindful of the observance of the MoU in the breach, SDP resolved that the emergence of a consensus candidate as reported is unacceptable to it, because it did not follow due process nor did it measure up to the established standard set out and which was assented to by the member political parties of the alliance. The MoU clearly provides for agreement of all the political Parties before any public endorsement. As it turned out eventually, it is obvious that the process was circumvented to achieve a predetermined end. For the avoidance of doubt, the SDP will never collapse into any Party as it is the choice of Nigerians in the 2019 elections. The SDP has, as a principled and self-respecting Party with a clear vision and sense of mission, resolved to move on with its campaigns to commence the presentation of its Presidential Candidate, H.E Donald Duke and his Running –Mate, Alh. Shehu Musa Gabam to Nigerians across the length and breadth of the country as well as its other candidates for the governorship, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly for the 2019 general elections. The campaign flag off which will commence with the zonal flag off will have the South East Geo-political Zone as the first place of call next week and details will soon be made public.

It is gladdening that some Presidential Candidates of some parties are already discussing concrete collaboration with us. The SDP will certainly welcome all those who believe in our philosophy, vision, mission and programmes for the Nigerian people.

Based on the popularity and acceptability of the SDP and its candidates, the Party has indeed become the generally accepted credible alternative for Nigerians and we are determined to rescue our country from widespread disillusionment and grief, restructure and restore its lost glory.

Alhaji Alfa Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

Social Democratic Party (SDP)

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