Ekiti Election: SDP Denies Withdrawing From Race

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has dismissed reports that it withdrew from Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State.

Naija News reports that the party described the claim as fabricated and misleading.

In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, the SDP National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, said the party’s candidate, Isaac Alade, remained in the race and was duly recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Aiyenigba urged voters to disregard what he described as a false withdrawal notice circulated by “political jobbers.”

He said, “The Ekiti electorate and members of the public are hereby assured by the National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Gombe, and the National Working Committee that the SDP is on the ballot, and its candidate, Isaac Alade, the validly nominated candidate who signed the INEC Peace Pact, remains strongly in contention for the election.”

The SDP accused unnamed individuals of spreading misinformation to mislead voters ahead of the poll.

It also accused INEC of refusing to allow the party to upload the names of its polling unit agents despite allegedly issuing access codes to its national secretariat.

Aiyenigba said officials of the commission failed to open the portal required for the upload.

“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 party reaffirmed its commitment to the election, describing itself as a credible alternative capable of delivering good governance, equitable socio-economic development and shared prosperity to Ekiti people.

It also pledged to continue advocating for transparent and credible elections in Nigeria.