Oyo SDP candidate sues INEC over omission from list - Vanguard News

The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo State, Olusegun Agboola, has accused unnamed political interests of orchestrating a plot to frustrate his 2027 governorship ambition following the omission of his name from the list of candidates published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Agboola, who described his exclusion as illegal, inexplicable and politically motivated, alleged that individuals within rival political parties were working to undermine his candidacy by influencing the electoral commission to exclude him from the official list.

The SDP flagbearer, who insisted that he had fulfilled all the necessary electoral requirements, disclosed that he had approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the omission and seek an 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 exclusion of his name, despite his qualification to contest the forthcoming governorship 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.”

Alleging that the development was a deliberate attempt to weaken the SDP’s political standing ahead of the election, Agboola claimed that some politicians in other major political parties were uncomfortable with the party’s agenda and its positions on issues affecting the state.

“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,” he said.

He expressed confidence that the court would intervene and compel INEC to rectify what he described as an electoral anomaly, questioning why a candidate who had complied with established procedures should be forced to seek judicial intervention to secure recognition.

“We have followed due process and the court will soon mandate INEC to include our names, but why is that necessary?” he queried.

The SDP candidate further alleged that his exclusion was part of a broader scheme 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 maintained that Oyo State required practical and sustainable solutions to unemployment, insecurity, inadequate infrastructure and other pressing socio-economic challenges.

He argued that the problems confronting the state could only be addressed through deliberate, systemic and long-term interventions rather than temporary measures.

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