The SDP candidate and 43-year-old running mate, Evelyn Aderiyike Kayode, are among the names displayed as INEC advances the 2027 Lagos election process
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday, August 29, 2026, displayed the particulars of 52-year-old Olaniyi Olufemi and 43-year-old Kayode Evelyn Aderiyike as the Social Democratic Party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates for Lagos State in the 2027 election.
Also read: Rotarian emerges SDP running mate in Lagos guber race
The development formally places the pair among the candidates whose particulars have been made available for public scrutiny as INEC moves the Lagos contest into a more defined phase.
Olaniyi’s Form EC9 identifies him as the SDP candidate for the Lagos governorship election. The document gives his date of birth as January 14, 1974, and his birthplace as Oyo.
His stated residential address is in Oribanwa, Ibeju-Lekki, while the document also records his SDP membership number and other personal particulars submitted to the electoral commission.
Kayode’s Form EC9 identifies her as the SDP deputy governorship candidate. Born on August 24, 1983, in Akure, Ondo State, she is listed as a serial entrepreneur and gives a Jibowu Street address in Lagos as her residence.
The publication of the two names comes as INEC begins a nationwide display of the personal particulars of candidates nominated for the 2027 governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
The exercise, conducted through Form EC9, began on Saturday and was displayed at INEC offices across the states.
The publication is intended to give political parties, candidates and members of the public an opportunity to inspect the information submitted by parties and raise objections where necessary. (Punch Newspapers)
INEC had previously announced that the particulars of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates would be published on August 29, following the submission of nomination documents by political parties.
The commission’s timetable places the governorship and State House of Assembly elections on February 6, 2027. (Punch Newspapers)
The publication is therefore more than a routine administrative step. It provides a public record of the candidates submitted by their respective political parties and gives voters an early opportunity to examine the information attached to the nominations.
For the SDP, the appearance of Olaniyi’s name follows his emergence as the party’s consensus governorship candidate in Lagos in May.
Olaniyi, who had served as Lagos State chairman of the SDP and previously chaired the Inter-Party Advisory Council in the state, emerged during the party’s governorship primary in Somolu. The process was monitored by INEC officials.
The chairman of the SDP Governorship Primary Electoral Committee, Primate Henry Amike, said delegates and stakeholders from the state’s 20 local government areas adopted Olaniyi as the party’s candidate.
“In accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, which grants political parties the option of selecting candidates either through direct primary election or consensus, the Lagos State SDP family has today unanimously adopted and endorsed Mr Femi Olaniyi (Ferrari) as the sole gubernatorial candidate,” Amike said at the time. (The Nation)
The development also builds on Olaniyi’s earlier political involvement in Lagos.
He was identified in previous reporting as a senior figure within the SDP’s state structure and was involved in the party’s activities during the 2023 electoral cycle. (The Guardian Nigeria)
The latest EC9 publication gives the SDP ticket a clearer place in an increasingly crowded Lagos governorship race.
Freelanews reported that 17 candidates are contesting the Lagos governorship seat, including incumbent Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat of the All Progressives Congress and former Labour Party candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, now representing the African Democratic Congress. (Punch Newspapers)
Other reported contenders include Peoples Democratic Party candidate Adedeji Doherty, African Democratic Party candidate Funso Doherty, APM candidate Laja Adeoye and Accord candidate Robert Sowore, among others. (NGElections)
The size of the field reflects the growing political importance of Lagos ahead of the 2027 elections, with established parties, opposition movements and newer political formations seeking to challenge the dominance of the governing party in the state.
For Olaniyi and Kayode, the INEC display marks a significant moment in that contest.
Their particulars are now part of the public electoral record, although the publication does not remove the possibility of changes permitted under electoral law.
INEC’s timetable provides a window for the withdrawal or substitution of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates up to September 19, meaning the political field can still change before the final stages of the nomination process.t of intensified preparations for the 2027 elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, had earlier said political parties would use the Candidate Nomination Portal to submit the names and particulars of their nominated candidates. (INEC Nigeria)
With the August 29 display now underway, attention is expected to shift towards campaign organisation, voter engagement and the scrutiny of candidates’ qualifications as the parties prepare for what promises to be a closely watched Lagos contest.
For the SDP, the listing of Olaniyi Olufemi and Kayode Evelyn Aderiyike provides an important measure of clarity after months of political positioning.
Also read: SDP picks Femi Olaniyi, Ariike Olu-Kayode for Lagos guber election
The pair now enter the next stage of the electoral journey with their names formally exposed to public examination, bringing the 2027 Lagos governorship race another step closer to the campaign trail.
Victory Emmanuel is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
