Get Guardian on GoogleThe governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo State, Mogaji Olusegun Abiodun Agboola, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the omission of his name from the list of candidates published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Agboola, who described the omission as illegal and inexplicable, alleged that some politicians in rival parties were behind the development in an attempt to undermine his governorship ambition and frustrate the SDP’s campaign in the state.
In a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan, the SDP chieftain said he had fulfilled the necessary requirements to be recognised as the party’s flag bearer but was excluded from INEC’s published list without any explanation.
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 some politicians were uncomfortable with the SDP’s political positions and development agenda, prompting them to allegedly use the electoral commission to weaken his campaign.
“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 compel INEC to correct the omission, questioning why a candidate who claimed to have followed due process should have to resort to litigation to secure inclusion on the official list.
“We have followed due process and the court will soon mandate INEC to include our names, but why is that necessary?” he queried.
The politician alleged that the omission was part of an attempt by unnamed political interests to influence the outcome of the 2027 election.
He warned that the development could undermine confidence in the electoral process if not addressed publicly by INEC.
The controversy followed the publication of the commission’s list of governorship candidates, which reportedly excluded Agboola despite his emergence through the SDP’s substitution primary.
According to his camp, his name ought to have been included after he submitted an affidavit as directed by INEC, while the window for complaints had closed on October 24.
The omission has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding his exclusion, with the candidate maintaining that he had met the necessary electoral requirements.
Agboola had earlier called for issue-based campaigns and challenged other governorship contenders to public debates, arguing that Oyo State needed practical solutions to unemployment, insecurity, inadequate infrastructure and other development challenges.
He maintained that the state’s problems required sustainable and systemic solutions rather than temporary interventions.
His legal challenge is expected to seek clarification on the basis for his exclusion and an order compelling INEC to include his name on the list.
