Sonko was struck off Senegal’s electoral register after being sentenced in June to two years’ imprison for morally corrupting a young person.
The 49-year-old who has been described as a political thorn in President Macky Sall’s side, finished third in the 2019 presidential election.
But his deregistration from the electoral lists rendered him ineligible to take part in the February polls.
Sonko has been at the centre of a stand-off with the state that has lasted more than two years and sparked several episodes of deadly unrest.
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