SDP to Hold Non-Elective Convention in April

• Promises to reintroduce national economic planing, fight corruption

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) said Thursday that it will hold a non-elective convention in April to accommodate all the groups that have joined the party and those that will join it between now and April, when the non-elective convention would hold.

The Chairman of the steering committee, Professor Jerry Gana, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja when the party presented its newly reorganised national working committee to the Nigerian public.

According to him, “The main purpose of this Press conference is to present to the Nigerian public through the press the new national working committee of the Social Democratic Party, which has now become the vehicle adopted by all of us that are desirous of a new political order in Nigeria.

“The political order that will ensure restructuring, very profound and rapid development of the federal republic restoration of peace, security and stability in the country and a number of key programmes which you would hear from the national Chairman whom we are presenting today with his team.”

Prof. Gana added that his function was on behalf of the national steering committee, who mandated him to get the very best from all sections of the country to serve in both the National Executive Committee and the National Working Committee of the party.

He added, “My function is on behalf of the national steering committee which has been mandated by the general house to liaise with all the sections of the federal republic Nigeria and getting the very best to serve on the National Executive Committee and the National Working Committee of our party. As chairman of the national steering committee.

“ I have the privilege and the honour and the delight to present to the Nigerian public the great leaders that are going to be piloting the affairs of the Social Democratic Party until our next non elective convention in April.”
The NWC has Dr. Olu Falae, national Chairman; Dr. Abdul Ahmed Isiaq, Deputy National Chairman (Kaduna); Hon. Shehu Musa Gabam National Secretary (Bauchi); Sen. Ebenezer Ikeyina, National Vice Chairman Southeast; and Dr. Junaid Mohammed, National Vice Chairman Northwest.

Others include, Bar. Joseph Abu, National Legal Adviser (Kogi); Mr. Nnamdi Clarkson (Imo),
National Treasurer and Bar. Emeka Atuma National Organising Secretary (Abia).
While the national publicity team has Alfa Mohammed, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Adakole Ijogi and Mr. Akinbode Ayoola as Spokespersons.

Other members are a former Oyo state Speaker Rt. Hon. Kehimde, National Financial Secretary; Lady Maryam Batubo women leader (Rivers) and Comrade Stanley Nwanka.
The steering committee said the position of the national publicity Secretary, had been zoned to the South South whose nomination is been awaited.

It also added that other members of the NWC will be presented in due course.
Two members of the NWC, Mr. Supo Sonibare, National Vice Chairman, Southwest and Sen. E B Henshaw National Vice Chairman, South-south were absent at the meeting.

The National Chairman of the party Dr. Falae, while addressing the press stated that the party if voted into power will reintroduce national economic planing as this will not only help to develop the country but will also help to fight corruption. According to him, the military broke the first political covenant in 1966, which was before the nation’s independence and that since then we have not been able to come to through consensus agreement to have another.

He added, “Today is historic, today marks the beginning of a new era in our country. Since independence we have been going from one crisis to another; economic, political, military, social etc. Why? my humble answer is because the political covenant which was the foundation of independent Nigeria was destroyed by military intervention.

“We have not been able to another back in it’s place by consensus agreement. That is why there is a cacophony of the quest for restructuring; so that we can find our way back to the stability, unity and development and progress which we had before 1966. This party is the party for restructuring, justice, fairness, unity and stability.

“Every serious minded organisation; government or private has a plan. Individuals have their plans to guide their actions. Nigeria used to have development plans. I have the honour to have been the first Director of the national economic development unit in the Ministry of economic development and I participated in producing two national development plans.

“But today Nigeria has abandoned planning.
The danger is; if we have no plan of what we want to do, where we want to go; every Naira you have appears to be surplus and therefore available for stealing.

‘But if you have a plan of how to develop Nigeria we can never have enough money do all that we need to do to develop Nigeria. So there will be no surplus to steal. So one of the effective antidotes to stealing and fighting corruption is have a National Economic Development Plan. and by the grace of God if put us in government we shall reintroduce development planing.”

He further stated that Nigeria is in dire need of a political platform that will take us to the promised land and that the SDP is the political platform.