Donald Duke's SDP pulls out of CUPP after coalition endorses Atiku

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has withdrawn its commitment from the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) to back a consensus candidate for the 2019 presidential election.

On July 9, 2018, dozens of political parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to oust the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

According to the terms of the MoU, the coalition resolved to back a single presidential candidate to oust Buhari and promised a unity government with a joint manifesto that will usher in great governance.

Following the coalition's decision last week to back the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, the SDP has officially pulled out.

This was disclosed by the party's National Publicity Secretary, Alpha Mohammed, in a brief statement on Tuesday, December 11, 2018.

"SDP pulls out of CUPP, kick-starts campaign on 19th December. Details later," the statement read, as he promised to release a detailed one later on Tuesday.

After Atiku's endorsement by the CUPP last week, SDP distanced itself from the decision and urged all its candidates to carry on with their campaigns.

In a statement released later on Tuesday, the party said Atiku's endorsement did not follow due process as previously agreed.

"The SDP resolved that the emergence of a consensus candidate as reported is unacceptable to it because it did not follow due process and did not 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," Mohammed said.

Former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke, is the party's presidential candidate. Duke joined the SDP in September after 20 years of PDP membership and has been a vocal critic of the party getting back in power.

Mohammed further announced, "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, Donald Duke, and his running mate, Alhaji 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."

2019 presidential election

Duke, who served as Cross River State governor between 1999 and 2007, will contest against 78 other candidates in the February 16, 2019 presidential election.

Chief among his opponents are Atiku, a former vice president, and incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Others include Kingsley Moghalu of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), Obiageli Ezekwesili of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC).

Others are Tope Fasua of the Abundance Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), Eunice Atuejide of the National Interest Party (NIP), Adesina Fagbenro-Byron of the Kowa Party (KP), Chike Ukaegbu of the Advanced Allied Party (AAP), Hamza Al-Mustapha of the People's Party of Nigeria (PPN), Obadiah Mailafia of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and many more.