The Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, Olugbenga Ajala, has expressed confidence that the party will emerge victorious despite being added to the ballot just three days before the poll.
Ajala stated this in a conversation with journalists on Wednesday, shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) listed the SDP among the political parties contesting the election.
The development means the SDP will now participate in the governorship election scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026, NEWSNGR reports.
Although Ajala admitted that the party had little time to campaign and reach voters following its late inclusion, he said he remained optimistic about victory.
Explaining why the party had not been actively campaigning while waiting for INEC to include it on the ballot, Ajala said the SDP had been involved in a legal battle over its participation in the election.
“We were in court throughout before we got judgments,” he said.
He acknowledged that the limited time remaining before the election would make the contest difficult for the party.
“In the next 48 hours, there is very little we can do because it is like a 100-meter race. Some of the contestants have reached 75 meters out of the 100 meters,” Ajala said.
“We are now coming out to the starting point. You know, it will be an unfair competition. We will do our best. But let us see what the result will be before we can say decisively which step we will take.”
Despite the disadvantage, the SDP candidate said he remained confident that the party could spring a surprise at the poll.
“I am very optimistic about victory. In fact, we are joyous,” Ajala said.
The INEC on Wednesday added the SDP, Dr Francis Ajala, and his running mate, Faseke Oladipo, to the ballot for the Osun governorship election.
The commission said the decision followed a judgment delivered by the Federal High Court, Abuja, on July 22, 2026.
The judgment was delivered in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/344/2026 involving the SDP, Ajala and INEC.
According to the electoral commission, the court ordered it to “forthwith recognise, accept, upload, process and publish” Ajala’s name and particulars as the SDP candidate for the election.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said the commission had commenced the reproduction of ballot papers to reflect the court-ordered inclusion of the SDP.
INEC also said the result sheets for the election were being reproduced alongside the ballot papers.
The inclusion of the SDP has increased the number of political parties contesting the Osun governorship election to 15.
With only a few days remaining before voters go to the polls, the late inclusion of the SDP is expected to create a fresh challenge for the party as it seeks to introduce its candidates to voters and mobilise support across the state.
Ajala, however, believes the party can overcome the disadvantage and secure victory despite having much less time than other candidates to campaign.
The election is scheduled to be held on Saturday, August 15, 2026.
