The Federal High Court has fixed September 24, 2026, for hearing in a suit instituted by Oloye Saheed Oladele against the leadership of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged violations of the 2026 Electoral Act in the party’s Oyo State governorship primary process.

The suit, filed on Oladele’s behalf by Barrister Akinlolu Oyebamiji of AOC Chambers, has been served on the respondents and challenges the submission of the name of Mr. Michael Okunlade to INEC as the SDP’s purported consensus candidate for the 2027 Oyo State governorship election.

Oladele’s legal team is contending that Okunlade, who is also the SDP chairman in Oyo State, allegedly failed to obtain the required Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms within the period stipulated by the party’s electoral guidelines.

According to the claimant’s legal team, Oladele was the only party member who paid for and obtained the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms within the prescribed period, a development it argues should be taken into consideration in determining the party’s valid governorship candidate.

The suit has consequently brought under judicial scrutiny the process through which the SDP arrived at its purported consensus candidate and subsequently submitted the name to INEC.

The court is expected to determine whether the party’s action complied with the Electoral Act and its own applicable electoral guidelines.

Meanwhile, Oladele’s supporters have expressed satisfaction with the prompt fixing of the hearing date, describing it as an opportunity for the issues surrounding the party’s governorship ticket to be subjected to judicial determination.

The legal challenge comes amid recent developments within the Oyo State chapter of the SDP, including the emergence of Okunlade as a purported consensus candidate and the unveiling of Mogaji Segun Agboola to party members on August 17, 2026, as another governorship aspirant.