Court orders INEC to recognise PDP candidate in Ekiti

The Peoples Democratic Party has welcomed a ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise Dr. Oluwole Oluyede as the party’s governorship candidate for the Ekiti State election. The judgment was delivered on Friday by Justice Umar following a legal challenge filed by Oluyede and the PDP against the electoral body.

The case arose after INEC refused to include Oluyede’s name among candidates for the Ekiti governorship election scheduled for July 20. The commission had earlier rejected his nomination, stating that the party failed to meet provisions of the Electoral Act during the process that produced him as candidate.

Following the rejection, the PDP and Oluyede approached the court to challenge the commission’s decision. In its ruling, the court directed INEC to recognise Oluyede as the party’s candidate and to place his name and the party’s logo on the ballot for the upcoming election. The court also stopped the commission from excluding him from any activity connected to the governorship poll.

Reacting to the judgment, the PDP said the decision clears the way for its participation in the Ekiti election and described the ruling as confirmation that its candidate was validly nominated. The party maintained that Oluyede had earlier received a certificate of return from the national leadership as the candidate for the 2026 governorship race in the state.

The development comes amid an internal crisis within the PDP which has affected its leadership structure and activities. Earlier in January, a Federal High Court in Ibadan nullified the party’s national convention held in November 2025 in Oyo State. The court also ordered the officials produced at the convention, including National Chairman Kabiru Turaki, to stop presenting themselves as leaders of the party.

Before that judgment, PDP governors had backed the convention and recognised Turaki and members of the National Working Committee who emerged from the gathering. The governors had also supervised the transition of leadership from former acting chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki after Damagum’s tenure ended in December.

At the same time, another faction linked to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, created a 13-member caretaker committee in December. The group appointed Mohammed Abdulrahman as acting national chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as acting secretary, with a mandate to oversee the party for 60 days.

The leadership dispute led to tension at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja, where attempts by both groups to hold meetings in November 2025 ended in clashes and disorder. Following the incident, the police sealed the party’s headquarters at Wadata Plaza and the building has remained closed.

Both factions later approached INEC seeking recognition, but the commission declined to recognise either group. This situation led to several legal actions as the party struggled with internal disagreements while preparations for future elections continued.

Amid the dispute, the caretaker committee linked to Wike announced plans to hold a fresh national convention in Abuja from March 29 to 30 to elect new party leaders. The group said it had already notified INEC of the planned convention.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal heard consolidated suits relating to the PDP leadership dispute on February 12. The appellate court reserved judgment and stated that the date for the decision would be communicated to the parties involved.