Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Social Democratic Party has firmly dismissed reports claiming it withdrew from Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State, describing the information as fabricated and misleading, while simultaneously accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission of preventing it from deploying polling unit agents for the poll. In a statement issued on Friday, June 19, 2026, the SDP National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, said the party’s candidate, Ambassador Isaac Adebayo Alade, remained firmly in the race and was duly recognised by the electoral commission.
The party assured voters that its name remains on the ballot and urged the public to disregard what it described as a false withdrawal notice circulated by “political jobbers.” According to the statement, the SDP’s National Chairman, Professor Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, and the National Working Committee reaffirmed that Alade is the party’s duly nominated candidate recognised by INEC and that he participated in and signed the peace accord organised by the commission ahead of the poll. “The Ekiti electorate and members of the general public are hereby assured that the SDP is listed on the ballot and its candidate, Ambassador Isaac Adebayo Alade, remains strongly in contention for the election,” the statement read.
However, the party raised concerns over what it described as INEC’s refusal to grant it access to upload the names of its polling unit agents despite allegedly issuing an access code to the party’s national secretariat. Aiyenigba said officials of the electoral commission at the national headquarters failed to open the portal required for the upload, a development the party said could undermine the credibility of the election. “The SDP hereby declares that in an election such as this, where the actions and inactions of the electoral umpire show an unhidden bias, the outcome becomes a nullity, considering that the deliberate locking out of agents of a major opposition party like the SDP by the commission erodes the credibility of the election,” the statement added.
The SDP also rejected claims that it had exited the race, maintaining that the reports were intended to mislead voters ahead of the election. The party alleged that those behind the withdrawal claim were political “jobbers” acting in concert with an expelled former national chairman of the party, Shehu Musa Gabam, whom it accused of attempting to foist an unknown individual on the party as its candidate. Reaffirming its commitment to the contest, the SDP described itself as a credible alternative platform capable of delivering good governance, equitable socio-economic development, and shared prosperity to the people of Ekiti State.
The development comes amid reports that the Ekiti State chapter of the SDP had withdrawn support for its governorship candidate, Peter Obafemi, and endorsed Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress. The state chairman, Ayodele Bamikole, had announced the endorsement following consultations with party leaders and stakeholders. However, the national leadership of the SDP has distanced itself from that position, insisting that Alade remains the party’s legitimate candidate. As of the time of this report, INEC had not issued an official response to the SDP’s allegations regarding the agent upload portal. The Ekiti State governorship election is scheduled for Saturday, June 20, 2026.
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