SDP Appeals Court Ruling on Osun 2026 Governorship Candidate

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has filed an appeal with the Court of Appeal in Abuja, seeking to stay the execution of a Federal High Court judgment that recognized Olaitan Salawu-Adeniyi as its governorship candidate for the 2026 Osun State governorship election. This request was communicated in a statement by the party's National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, on Wednesday.

The SDP is also asking the appellate court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from implementing the June 24, 2026 judgment delivered by Justice M.G. Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, until the appeal is resolved.

The appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1011/2026, stems from a judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/402/2026, which directed INEC to enforce a prior Court of Appeal judgment recognizing Shehu Gabam as the party’s national chairman.

The SDP contends that this earlier decision was overturned by the Supreme Court on May 22, 2026, making the Federal High Court's ruling inconsistent with the Supreme Court's ruling.