David Mark, Donald Duke join presidential race
A former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has declared his intention to contest for the Presidential election under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2019.
He picked his Presidential nomination form on Tuesday at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.
Mark was President of the Senate for eight years between 2007 and 2015.
Speaking with journalists after picking his forms, he promised to tackle security, economic and socio-political challenges threatening the country if elected.
He also promised to embark on the restructuring of the country if given the opportunity.
He said, “Irrespective of our political persuasions, it is incontrovertible that restructuring of the nation is an idea whose time has come.
“I believe it will further strengthen our bond of brotherhood and unity more than ever before, because everyone would have a sense of belonging and live in harmony in any part of Nigeria without any fear of molestation and intimidation.”
…
Also a former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, has picked the N1m Expression of Interest form of the Social Democratic Party in order to contest for the Presidency on the platform of the SDP.
Duke revealed this when he visited the national secretariat of the SDP in Abuja on Tuesday.
The former governor, while addressing journalists, said he was a loyal member of the Peoples Democratic Party for 20 years but decided to leave after the party lost focus.
Duke 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.”
The former governor lamented the high rate of poverty and unemployment.
Duke said the rising population also posed a security threat if not probably checked.
The former governor also berated the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government for failing to improve the lives of Nigerians
Also speaking, the Deputy National Chairman of the SDP, Abdulahmed Isiaq, said the SDP would not zone any elective offices.
Isiaq added that the party believed in providing a level playing field for all. Punch
