PDP Heads To Court Over Exclusion Of Party Candidate From Ekiti Governorship Poll

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to seek legal redress following the exclusion of its candidate, Dr. Oluwole Oluyede, from the list of contestants for the 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the PDP accused the electoral umpire of bias and deliberate obstruction, describing the development as “yet another confirmation of the Commission’s prejudiced disposition towards the affairs of the PDP.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, INEC was duly notified of the conduct of our party’s governorship primaries. The Commission attended and monitored the exercise and subsequently issued reports confirming that the primaries complied with all extant laws and were democratically conducted,” Ememobong stated.

He added that the party was granted access to INEC’s online nomination portal before the code was allegedly “disingenuously blocked” a few days before the deadline, forcing the PDP to submit its candidate’s documents manually at the Commission’s office.

“The receipt of that manual submission was acknowledged,” he noted.

The party maintained that the exclusion of Oluyede’s name was unjustified, stressing that there was no court order or internal dispute challenging his nomination.

“There is no contrary submission before INEC disputing the validity of Dr. Oluyede’s nomination. There is also no court order restraining the Commission from recognising him as the PDP’s candidate,” the statement read. “Indeed, INEC’s own monitoring report attests to the validity of the primaries and the nomination process.”

Ememobong said the party had “taken steps to approach the courts to compel INEC to do what it ought to have done in the first place.”

While expressing concern over the electoral body’s conduct, he cautioned INEC to maintain neutrality and uphold democratic principles.

“INEC must remain independent, impartial, and neutral in matters relating to political parties and the electoral process,” the spokesman warned. “While we acknowledge the saying that he who pays the piper dictates the tune, the Commission must be conscious that the tune currently being dictated is dangerously high-pitched and will ultimately harm the piper. INEC must always act in defence of democracy, and never in antagonism to it,” he concluded.