SDP BEGINS UPLOAD OF 1,015 ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES TO INEC PORTAL

The Social Democratic Party on Monday disclosed that it has commenced the upload of details of its 1,015 candidates for state Houses of Assembly elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Candidate Nomination Portal.

The party said this followed the completion of submissions for its presidential, governorship and National Assembly candidates.

The development comes barely 24 hours after the ruling All Progressives Congress announced that it had uploaded the particulars of its 27 governorship candidates and their running mates, as well as more than 60 per cent of its state Assembly candidates, ahead of the August 8 deadline set by the electoral umpire.

Speaking with our correspondent on the sidelines of an award presentation by the Arewa Students Union at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, SDP National Chairman, Prof Sadiq Gombe, expressed confidence that the party would meet the submission deadline.

He said, “We have finished uploading our candidates for the presidential, National Assembly, and governorship elections.

“We are now on the state Assembly. I am aware we still have a deadline or time limit up to the 8th of next month (August) for them to be concluded.

“So, the SDP, just like all other parties, is still in the process. You know, we have about 1,015 state Assembly candidates. Formerly it was 993, but with the restructured 22 constituencies, we now have 1,015.

“So we are in the process, and it is going well.”

The INEC nomination portal, which opened on July 18, allows political parties to upload the names and particulars of their candidates for the 2027 presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections.

Earlier in his remarks, Gombe thanked the Arewa Students Union for conferring the award on him, describing the recognition as one that belonged to the entire SDP family.

He said, “I was a student union leader myself. If there is any part of my life that I am proud of, it’s that student unionism and leadership at that level. I honour it more than any other thing.

“As student union leaders, we started the debate of forcing down the prices of foodstuffs, consumables, and drinks in particular, at our various campuses nationwide at our student level.

“Many of the challenges we were debating and finding solutions to as student leaders in the parliament, by far surpass what is happening today in our Red and Green Chambers in this country.

“So, as leaders of tomorrow, you are supposed to start as leaders of today. That cannot be achieved without commitment and patriotism 

The SDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Ugochukwu Uba, said the recognition bestowed on Gombe reflected the quality of leadership in the party.

“It is something of honour for you to be here today to give recognition to our chairman. It also tells you about the nature and calibre of our party for a man of this distinction to be the leader of the SDP.

“It shows that we know what we are doing when we made him the chairman. And to be recognised by the students of the whole Arewa clan is a big plus,” he stated.

President of the Arewa Students Union, Abubakar Abdullahi, said the organisation was committed to promoting peace and responsible leadership among young people through advocacy and sensitisation programmes across tertiary institutions.