Ekiti Gubernatorial Election: SDP Continues Campaign Despite INEC Portal Problems

…Alleges Withdrawal Claim Orchestrated by APC, Party Impostors

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — The Social Democratic Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) has pledged to contest Saturday’s Ekiti State governorship election, despite claiming that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to open its portal for the upload of the party’s polling agents.

The party also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and alleged impostors within the SDP of spreading reports that the party had withdrawn from the election.

In a statement issued on Friday by SDP National Publicity Secretary Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, the party dismissed the withdrawal rumors as false and misleading.

The statement affirmed that the party remains firmly in the race, with its governorship candidate, Ambassador Isaac Adebayo Alade, duly recognised by INEC and listed on the ballot.

“The attention of the National Headquarters of our great party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has been drawn to the fabricated story of the alleged withdrawal of the party from the Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, June 20, 2026,” the statement read.

The party noted that Alade had signed the INEC peace accord ahead of the election, confirming his status as a valid contender.

It urged voters and the public to disregard statements from individuals claiming that the SDP had withdrawn.

The SDP alleged that the reports were being circulated by political actors linked to the ruling party and an expelled former national chairman, Shehu Musa Gabam.

The party further claimed that although INEC had provided its national secretariat with an access code for uploading polling unit agents, the commission failed to activate the portal.

“It is instructive to note that INEC formally provided an access code to our National Secretariat for the uploading of the names of polling unit agents of the SDP, but officials of the commission at the national headquarters inexplicably refused to open the portal to enable us upload the names of our agents for the governorship election,” the statement alleged.

The SDP argued that any election conducted under such circumstances could be questioned for its credibility, asserting that the action effectively excluded the party from fully participating in the electoral process.

The party maintained that it would not accept what it described as an attempt to disenfranchise its members and supporters.

Reaffirming its commitment to the election, the SDP described itself as a credible alternative platform capable of delivering good governance, equitable socio‑economic development and shared prosperity for the people of Ekiti State.

The party also pledged to continue advocating for transparent, fair and credible electoral processes, while promoting democratic consolidation and national development.

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