ABUJA – The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has dismissed reports that it has withdrawn from the Ekiti State governorship election, declaring that its candidate, Ambassador Isaac Adebayo Alade, remains firmly on the ballot and in the race for Saturday’s poll.
The party also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and what it described as political impostors of spreading falsehood to mislead voters and weaken the opposition ahead of the election.
In a statement issued by its National Headquarters and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Araba Rufus Aiyenigba, the SDP said reports of its withdrawal were fabricated and should be disregarded by the people of Ekiti State.
The party said its National Chairman, Prof. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, and the National Working Committee (NWC) have reaffirmed that the SDP is participating fully in the election and that Ambassador Isaac Adebayo Alade remains its validly nominated candidate recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the statement, Alade’s participation in the INEC Peace Accord signing is further proof that he remains a legitimate contender in the governorship contest.
“The SDP is listed on the ballot and its candidate, Ambassador Isaac Adebayo Alade, remains strongly in contention for the election,” the party stated.
The SDP alleged that those behind the withdrawal story were political merchants working for the APC and an expelled former National Chairman of the party, Shehu Musa Gabam, whom it accused of attempting to foist an unknown individual on the public as the party’s candidate.
The opposition party also raised alarm over what it described as INEC’s refusal to allow it upload the names of its polling unit agents despite issuing an access code to the party’s National Secretariat.
“It is instructive to note that INEC formally provided 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 refused to open the portal to enable us upload our agents for the governorship election,” the statement said.
The party warned that the alleged exclusion of its agents could undermine the credibility of the election and render the outcome questionable.
According to the SDP, the action amounts to the disenfranchisement of a major opposition party and raises concerns about the neutrality of the electoral umpire.
“The deliberate locking out of agents of a major opposition party like the SDP erodes the credibility of the election. The party will not accept the disenfranchisement that is obviously orchestrated by the APC,” it declared.
Despite the controversy, the SDP said it remains committed to providing a credible alternative for the people of Ekiti State and vowed to continue championing transparent elections, democratic consolidation and good governance.
The party urged voters to ignore what it called fake reports and come out to support its candidate at the polls.
