The organisers of the Ikogosi Marathon have excluded activist and African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, from the 2026 edition of the competition, prompting him to demand international sanctions against the organisers and Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji.
The Ikogosi Marathon Initiative announced the decision in a statement on Saturday, the day the 17.5-kilometre race was scheduled to hold.
The organisers cited security concerns linked to recent incidents involving Sowore and his associates in Ekiti State.
According to the statement, although Sowore had registered for the competition, he was not issued a race bib and had not been cleared to participate.
The initiative said the decision followed a review of what it described as independently obtained and verifiable evidence of activities involving Sowore and his associates at its office premises and other locations in the state.
It, however, denied that the exclusion was politically motivated, insisting that it was based on security considerations and documented conduct rather than his political beliefs or affiliation.
The organisers also said they had maintained a policy against using their platform, facilities, events or branding for political campaigns and partisan demonstrations since 2014.
Reacting, Sowore called on World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport, to sanction the organisers and blacklist them from future sporting events.
In a statement posted on his X account, he accused the organisers, led by Makinde Araoye, of complicity in the attack on him and members of his team in Ekiti State. He also demanded international sanctions against Governor Oyebanji.
Describing the organisers’ statement as “self-indicting”, Sowore argued that sporting events should not become platforms for political intimidation or violence. He called for an independent investigation into the attack and threatened legal action against the organisers and the state government in Nigeria and internationally.
The exclusion follows Friday’s incident in Ado-Ekiti, where Sowore and members of his team were reportedly attacked and injured by some individuals.
The Ekiti State Police Command initially described the incident as an altercation, saying Sowore was injured and taken to hospital for treatment. However, the activist rejected that account, insisting that he and his associates were attacked by armed men who threatened to kill him.
The marathon organisers maintained that the 2026 competition remained open to participants from different backgrounds who complied with its rules, adding that they were committed to providing a safe and politically neutral environment for runners, officials, volunteers and spectators.