SDP Seeks Stay of High Court Judgment in Osun Leadership Dispute

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has filed an application before the Court of Appeal in Abuja seeking to halt the enforcement of a Federal High Court judgment that recognised Salawu-Adeniyi Mustapha Olaitan as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2026 Osun State governorship election.

In the motion, the SDP is asking the appellate court to stay the execution of the June 24, 2026 judgment pending the determination of its appeal. The party also wants the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from implementing the judgment until the appeal is decided.

The appeal stems from a ruling by Justice Mohammed Garuba Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The respondents include Olaitan, INEC, the SDP’s expelled National Chairman, Alhaji Shehu Musa Gabam, and the expelled National Youth Leader, Uchechukwu Chukwuma.

According to the SDP, its appeal raises substantial legal issues that deserve consideration by the Court of Appeal. The party argued that allowing the judgment to be implemented before the appeal is heard could permanently alter the situation and render the appeal ineffective if it later succeeds.

The application is part of the ongoing legal dispute over the SDP’s leadership and the nomination of its candidate for the forthcoming Osun governorship election. As of now, the Court of Appeal has not fixed a date to hear the application or rule on the requested reliefs.