8th February, 2019
Chief Olu Falae, a former federal government secretary and presidential candidate of the Alliance for Democracy in 1999, said he has quit politics.
His not-too-surprising announcement came hours after the National Executive Committee of the party he founded, Social Democratic Party endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for next week’s election.
Falae, who had expressed preference for Atiku Abubakar, said he has stepped down as National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
He also announced at a news conference in Akure he will no longer be actively involved in politics, citing health challenge as a major reason for his action.
Falae also cited irresolvable differences in the Social Democratic Party for his action.
The SDP is facing crisis over who should be the presidential candidate, between former minister, Professor Jerry Gana and former governor of Cross River Donald Duke.
Falae was 80 years old on 21 September 2018. He was the secretary to the military government headed by Ibrahim Babangida between 1986 and 1990, at a time government introduced the ill-advised Structural Adjustment Programme, responsible for laying the foundation for the increased poverty in Nigeria.