The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognise Dr. Oluwole Oluyede as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the governorship election in Ekiti State.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Umar, the court granted all the reliefs sought by Oluyede and the PDP in suit numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/40/2026, filed against INEC.
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The court criticised the electoral body for excluding Oluyede from the list of candidates for the forthcoming Ekiti governorship election and directed the Commission to immediately recognise him as the PDP candidate.
Justice Umar further ordered INEC to include Oluyede’s name and the PDP logo on the ballot for the election. The court also issued a perpetual injunction restraining the Commission from rejecting or excluding him from any activities related to the governorship poll.
Oluyede had earlier been presented with a certificate of return by the National Chairman of the PDP, Kabiru Turaki, SAN, confirming him as the party’s flagbearer for the 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State.
However, the party said INEC, under the leadership of its chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, refused to include Oluyede’s name on the list of candidates, prompting the candidate and the PDP to challenge the decision in court.
Reacting to the judgment, the PDP described the ruling as a victory for justice and democracy.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the party urged INEC to operate strictly within the law and avoid actions capable of undermining Nigeria’s multi-party democratic system. The PDP also called on its members in Ekiti State to intensify their campaigns ahead of the governorship election, expressing confidence in victory with Oluyede as its candidate