The Peoples Democratic Party has hailed a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise Oluwole Oluyede as its governorship candidate in Ekiti State.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said in a statement on Friday that the Court’s ruling clears the way for the party’s victory in the Ekiti Governorship election.
Despite INEC’s announcement of July 20 as the election date, the PDP had been mired in internal crisis. INEC had previously rejected the party’s governorship candidate, Oluyede, led by Tanimu Turaki, SAN, citing non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
The candidate and the PDP challenged the decision in court, and on Friday, the Court ordered INEC to include Oluyede’s name and the party’s logo on the ballot and barred the commission from excluding him from any election-related activities.
PDP stated, “The judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Honourable Justice Umar, has granted all the reliefs sought by Dr. Oluwole Oluyede and the Peoples Democratic Party in the suit FHC/ABJ/CS/40/2026 against the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“Specifically, the court frowned at the exclusion of Dr. Oluyede, who was the governorship candidate of the PDP in Ekiti, and directed the Commission to immediately recognise the candidate and include his name on the list of candidates and the logo of the party on the ballot for the Ekiti Governorship elections. The court further granted an order of perpetual injunction preventing the Commission from further rejecting or excluding the candidate from activities related to the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti State.
“Dr. Oluwole Oluyede was presented with a certificate of return by the National Chairman of the Party, Kabiru Turaki, SAN, as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2026 Governorship elections in Ekiti.
However, INEC, under the leadership of Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, flagrantly and unlawfully refused to include his name on the list of candidates.
“The candidate and the party approached the court to question the legal authority of the Commission to act in the manner it did.
We welcome this judgment as a confirmation of the reality in Ekiti and acknowledge that indeed justice has been served.
“Furthermore, we admonish INEC to act within the confines of the law and refrain from unbridled partisanship. The Commission is aware of several judgments to the effect that it cannot exclude lawfully nominated candidates, as in the instant case. They should remember the historic negative roles which past electoral commissions played in the collapse of democracy in previous republics and consciously act in favour of protecting multi-party democracy, and not otherwise.”
On January 30, a Federal High Court in Ibadan nullified the PDP National Convention held on November 15, 2025, in Ibadan, Oyo State, and ordered Turaki (SAN) and others to stop presenting themselves as national officers of the party.
Before the ruling, PDP governors had endorsed the Ibadan Convention, which produced Turaki and members of the National Working Committee for a four-year term. The governors had also overseen the transition from former Chairman Umar Damagum to Turaki before Damagum’s tenure ended on December 9.
Meanwhile, a faction loyal to Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike established a 13-member caretaker committee on December 8, appointing Mohammed Abdulrahman as Acting National Chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as Acting Secretary, among others, with a 60-day mandate.
Attempts by both the Wike-aligned faction and the governors’ camp to hold meetings at Wadata Plaza on November 18, 2025, descended into chaos, resulting in disorder and physical confrontations. The police subsequently sealed the PDP National Secretariat, which has remained closed since.
Both factions later sought recognition from INEC, but the commission declined to recognise either group, leading to prolonged legal disputes as the 2027 general elections approached.
Amid the crisis, the Wike-backed caretaker committee announced on February 3 that a fresh National Convention to elect new PDP leaders would take place in Abuja from March 29 to 30. On February 12, the Court of Appeal heard all consolidated suits related to the PDP leadership crisis and reserved judgment, with the date for the ruling to be communicated to the parties.
In a recent interview with The PUNCH, Wike’s faction stated that it had notified INEC of its plans and would proceed with the Abuja convention on March 29 and 30 to elect new party leaders.
