The Social Democratic Party (SDP) will now take part in Saturday’s by-elections following a Federal High Court ruling ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include the party and its candidates in 12 states.
INEC confirmed on Friday that it had received the Abuja court’s judgment in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1525/2025 and, in compliance, accepted and published the names of SDP candidates submitted manually.
The commission had earlier excluded the party for failing to give valid notice for primaries, which meant its processes were not monitored. INEC assured that the late ruling would not disrupt the polls scheduled for 16 August 2025 but noted it would appeal the decision.
The by-elections cover 16 constituencies in 13 states, including two senatorial seats in Edo and Anambra, five federal constituencies in Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Ogun, and Oyo, and nine state constituencies in Adamawa, Anambra, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Taraba, and Zamfara.