The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has vowed to continue its legal challenge to the victory of Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji after the party’s governorship candidate in the June 20 election, Isaac Alade, unexpectedly withdrew from the case.
Alade’s decision was announced before the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Monday, despite the SDP’s counsel, Adewole Adebayo, saying he was unaware of the candidate’s intention to discontinue the petition.
Counsel to Alade, Umar Abdulhamid, informed the three-member tribunal that he had filed a Motion on Notice dated September 12, 2026, notifying the court of his client’s decision to withdraw from the petition.
Adebayo, who represented the SDP, described the development as an ambush, indicating that the party had not been consulted before Alade moved to discontinue his participation in the case.
Despite his objection to the manner of the withdrawal, Adebayo said he would not oppose the application because Alade’s decision would not prevent the SDP from pursuing the petition.
“We will have no reason to stop him. If he withdraws and decides to go home, he is free; it does not stop us (SDP) from continuing with the case,” Adebayo said.
In a ruling, the tribunal chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, granted the application and ordered that Alade’s name be removed from the petition.
“The tribunal grants the application, having considered the Motion on Notice of the second petitioner (SDP candidate) in respect of his intention to withdraw from the petition. His name is hereby struck out of the petition,” Kutigi ruled.
The development leaves the SDP to pursue its challenge without its own governorship candidate as a petitioner.
Counsel to Governor Oyebanji, Adetunji Oso, said the governor would not oppose Alade’s withdrawal, arguing that the candidate had exercised a legal right in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Oso also rejected suggestions that petitioners were withdrawing their cases because of coercion or intimidation.
He said Oyebanji, as the state’s chief security officer, had no interest in interfering with the tribunal’s proceedings or obstructing its ability to determine the cases before it.
“The governor, as the chief security officer of the state, won’t undermine, nor take any action that can hinder free operation of the tribunal to dispense justice in the matter expeditiously,” Oso said.
Alade’s withdrawal comes a week after another major petitioner in the Ekiti governorship election dispute took a similar step.
At the tribunal’s inaugural sitting last Monday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and runner-up in the election, Oluwole Oluyede, withdrew his petition challenging Oyebanji’s victory.
The tribunal subsequently struck out Oluyede’s petition.
With Alade now removed from the SDP petition, the party has made clear that his withdrawal will not end its challenge to the outcome of the June 20 governorship election.
The development is likely to draw further attention to the remaining legal challenges against Oyebanji’s victory as the tribunal proceeds with the election petitions.
