A governorship aspirant of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo State, Chief Saheed Oladele, has commenced legal action against the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the nomination of another candidate ahead of the 2027 Oyo State governorship election.
Oladele, who describes himself as the only aspirant who obtained the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms within the stipulated period, filed the case before the Federal High Court in Ibadan.
The suit was filed on his behalf by his lawyer, Mr Akinlolu Oyebamiji, challenging the decision of the SDP leadership to submit the name of Mr Michael Okunlade to INEC as the party’s consensus governorship candidate.
In the court documents, Oladele alleged that the process leading to Okunlade’s emergence did not follow the requirements of the Electoral Act 2026 and the party’s nomination procedures.
The plaintiff argued that Okunlade, who currently serves as the SDP Oyo State Chairman, did not obtain the necessary nomination documents before the deadline set by INEC.
According to Oladele’s legal team, the nomination process was flawed because no formal withdrawal or consent was obtained from him before another candidate’s name was forwarded to the electoral commission.
“The nomination of candidates must follow established legal procedures. In this case, the required steps were not followed,” Oyebamiji argued in the court filing.
The aspirant is asking the Federal High Court to invalidate the recognition of Okunlade as the SDP consensus candidate for the Oyo governorship race.
He is also seeking an order preventing Okunlade from presenting himself as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.
Among the other reliefs requested by the plaintiff is an order stopping INEC and the national leadership of the Social Democratic Party from recognising Okunlade as the party’s legitimate candidate.
Oladele is further asking the court to direct the SDP and INEC to recognise him as the party’s governorship candidate and upload his details on the commission’s candidate management portal.
The court has not yet announced a date for the hearing of the application.
The legal dispute adds another dimension to preparations for the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State, where political parties are already positioning candidates and building structures ahead of the polls.
Background Information
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) is one of Nigeria’s registered political parties participating in national and state elections.
Oyo State, located in Nigeria’s South-West region, has historically been a politically competitive state with major contests involving parties such as the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and SDP.
Ahead of the 2027 elections, political parties have begun selecting candidates, building alliances and strengthening grassroots structures.
Candidate nomination disputes are common during election cycles, with courts often determining whether parties followed constitutional, statutory and electoral guidelines
