Mega Party Gives Criteria For Presidential Flagbearer

The newly formed Social Democratic Mega Party (SDP) says ticket for its presidential candidate is open to all geo-political zones in the country.

In a statement in Lagos  SDP’s Head of Secretariat, Mr Wale Okuniyi, said the party would base the choice of its flag bearer on merit  rather than origin.

In the statement the SPD also said it would not support any candidate outside its fold.

”Any candidate who wants our backing will first and foremost join the party and submit himself  to party primaries, otherwise, we shall not touch such a candidate no matter how credible he may seem,’’ it said.

The SDP also disclosed that the party’s protem national executives would be inaugurated in Abuja at the end of this month.

SDP argued that President Goodluck Jonathan was qualified to contest  for the country’s presidency in 2011.

It said the support Jonathan currently enjoyed from the Nigerian public could count for him in the election.

“Every Nigerian, notwithstanding primordial sentiments or caucus agreement, is constitutionally eligible to aspire to the highest office in the land”.

“ Nigeria belongs to all of us, so merit and not zoning should be adopted in the nation’s search for credible political leadership,’’ it argued.

Meanwhile, the National Action Council (NAC), has condemned the zoning formula of the PDP, arguing that Jonathan deserved to contest the presidency.

NAC in a statement in Lagos, said selective leadership would be corruptive, rights abusive and production inhibitive.

The statement was signed by NAC’s National Chairman, Dr Olapade Agoro.

“PDP’s zoning formula being imposed on its unsuspecting members is all about selective leadership which has brought the nation so far disgracefully and ashamedly to is knees.

“There is no justifiable reason for the PDP zoning formula which preaches North-South divide and which connotes denial of rights and discrimination,’’ it said.

The party argued that section 42 (2) of 1999 Constitution stipulated that no citizen of Nigeria should be deprived the right to contest an election merely by reason of the circumstances of his birth.

“If this constitutional stipulation must be respected, the PDP zoning formula should be seen as a grave affront to the nation”.