2027: Court reserves judgment in SDP suit against INEC over Adebayo’s candidacy

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has reserved judgment in a suit filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its National Organising Secretary, Dr. Chukwuma Ogbonna, against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the publication of Adewole Adebayo as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general elections.

The trial judge, Justice Salim Ibrahim, reserved judgment to a date to be communicated to the parties in the matter after their counsel adopted their respective written addresses and presented arguments for and against the suit.

The plaintiffs are seeking an order compelling INEC to recognise and publish the name of Hon. Abimbola Akeem Atanda, the candidate they claim was validly nominated by the party and submitted to the electoral commission.

According to the plaintiffs, the SDP conducted its presidential primary election and national convention on May 20, 2026, in Abuja, under the leadership of Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, the party’s national chairman.

They maintained that INEC monitored the exercise and subsequently issued a Certified True Copy (CTC) of its monitoring report.

The plaintiffs further claimed that the party duly submitted the name and personal particulars of the candidate who emerged as the winner of the presidential primary to the electoral body.

However, the plaintiffs alleged that INEC published Adebayo’s name as the party’s presidential candidate instead of that of the winner of the primary election monitored by the commission.

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They argued that the publication was inconsistent with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, and asked the court to intervene.

Among other reliefs, the plaintiffs are seeking an order directing INEC to stop recognising, accepting, or publishing the name of any person other than their validly nominated candidate as the SDP’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

They also want the court to set aside the purported publication of Adebayo’s name and restrain INEC from placing his name on the ballot as the party’s presidential candidate on the grounds that, according to them, he was not properly nominated by the party.

The plaintiffs further urged the court to order the electoral commission to recognise and publish the name of the candidate who emerged as the winner of the presidential primary election monitored by INEC.