2019: Donald Duke Dumps PDP For SDP, Declares For Presidency

A former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, has dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Duke, who was governor from 1999 to 2007 under the PDP, said he would run for presidency on the platform of the SDP.

He announced his decision at the national secretariat of the SDP on Tuesday afternoon where he was received by the national secretary, Shehu Gabam, the publicity secretary, Alfa Mohammed, amongst others.

Speaking with journalists, the former governor said he was a loyal member of the PDP for 20 years but decided to leave after the party lost focus.

He also questioned the decision of the PDP to zone the Presidency to the North.

He said, “I was a member of the PDP but over the years we saw the fortunes and the values of the party dwindle. When a former President walks out of his party, you know there is something. Over the years, you will see that it lost its values and became a shadow of itself.

“That the PDP is zoning today is actually a betrayal of those ideals it started off with because it was a national organisation. Today, in some parts of the country, it is hardly in existence.”