SDP Candidate Confident of Winning Despite Late INEC Listing

The Social Democratic Party candidate for the Osun State governorship election, Olugbenga Ajala, believes his party will win. This is despite being added to the ballot just three days before the election.

Ajala shared his thoughts in a phone interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday. This was after the Independent National Electoral Commission announced the party's inclusion in the election.

Ajala knows the party has little time to campaign for votes but still feels positive about their chances. He said, “We were in court throughout before we got judgments.”

When asked what he was doing while waiting for INEC, Ajala said, “In the next 48 hours, there is very little we can do because it is like a 100-meter race. Some of the contestants have reached 75 meters out of the 100 meters.”

He added, “We are now coming out to the starting point. You know, it will be an unfair competition. We will do our best. But let us see what the result will be before we can say decisively which step we will take.”

Ajala remains hopeful. He said, “I am very optimistic about victory. In fact, we are joyous.”

The PUNCH reports that INEC has officially listed the Social Democratic Party governorship candidate, Dr Francis Ajala, and his running mate, Faseke Oladipo, on the ballot. The election is set for Saturday, August 15, 2026.

INEC made this decision after a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja on July 22, 2026. This was in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/344/2026, which involved the SDP, Ajala, and the electoral commission.

The court ordered INEC to “forthwith recognise, accept, upload, process and publish” the details of Ajala as the SDP candidate for the upcoming election.

In a statement on Wednesday, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said they are reproducing the ballot papers to include the court's order.

This move brings the total number of political parties in the election to 15. INEC also mentioned that the result sheets for the election are being updated to match the ballot papers.