Oyo SDP candidate sues INEC over omission from list

By Adeola Badru The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo State, Olusegun Agboola, has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the omission of his name from the commission’s list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election. Agboola alleged that unnamed political interests were behind his exclusion, describing the development as illegal, inexplicable and politically motivated.

The SDP candidate, who maintained that he had fulfilled all the necessary electoral requirements, said he was seeking a court order compelling INEC to include his name on the list. In a statement on Thursday, Agboola expressed concern over what he described as the selective omission of his name despite his qualification to contest the election. He said, “The illegal and unexplainable omission of my name from the latest INEC published list as the SDP governorship candidate for Oyo State is perplexing.

“Of all qualified candidates, my name was singled out and omitted from the published list without any reason from INEC.” Agboola alleged that the omission was an attempt to weaken the SDP’s political standing ahead of the election, claiming that some politicians in rival parties were uncomfortable with the party’s agenda and positions on issues affecting the state.

He said, “I have been told that some people from other popular parties are behind it. They are not comfortable with all we stand for, so they want to use INEC to diminish our campaign and suppress all our efforts.” Expressing confidence in the judicial process, the candidate said he expected the court to compel INEC to correct the omission, questioning why he had to seek legal intervention after complying with the prescribed procedures.

“We have followed due process and the court will soon mandate INEC to include our names, but why is that necessary?” he queried. He further alleged that his exclusion was part of a broader attempt by unnamed political interests to manipulate the electoral process and influence the outcome of the 2027 governorship election. “Some people want to use every means possible to doctor the outcome.

This is sad for our democracy and shows the integrity of the umpire is damaged if this anomaly is not loudly corrected with a very public announcement from the INEC chairman,” he added. Agboola said Oyo State needed practical and sustainable solutions to unemployment, insecurity, inadequate infrastructure and other socio-economic challenges. He argued that addressing the problems required deliberate, systemic and long-term interventions rather than temporary measures.