Ekiti Guber: We are contesting election despite INEC portal issue — SDP

…Alleges Withdrawal Claim Orchestrated by APC, Party Impostors

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA — The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Social Democratic Party has vowed to participate in Saturday’s Ekiti State governorship election despite what it described as the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to open its portal for the upload of the party’s polling agents.

The party also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress and alleged impostors within the SDP of being responsible for reports claiming that the party had withdrawn from the election.

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

According to the statement, 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 said.

The party noted that Alade was among the governorship candidates who participated in and signed the INEC peace accord ahead of the election, insisting that he remains a valid contender.

It urged the electorate and the general public to disregard statements attributed to individuals claiming that the SDP had withdrawn from the contest.

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 provided its national secretariat with an access code for the upload of polling unit agents, the commission failed to activate the portal to enable the process.

“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 face questions regarding its credibility, alleging 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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