The Federal High Court, on Friday, directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Dr. Oluwole Oluyede as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the upcoming Ekiti State governorship election.
Delivering judgment in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/40/2026, Justice Umar granted all the reliefs sought by Oluyede and the PDP in their petition against INEC.
The court criticised the electoral commission for omitting Oluyede from the official list of candidates for the election and ordered that he be immediately recognised as the PDP flagbearer.
Justice Umar also directed INEC to include Dr. Oluwole Oluyede’s name and the PDP logo on the ballot for the Ekiti governorship election. The court further issued a perpetual injunction preventing the Commission from rejecting or excluding him from any election-related activities.
Oluyede had previously received a certificate of return from the National Chairman of the PDP, Kabiru Turaki, officially confirming him as the party’s flagbearer for the 2026 Ekiti governorship poll.
However, the party claimed that INEC, under the leadership of its chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, refused to include Oluyede’s name on the official candidate list, prompting both Oluyede and the PDP to challenge the decision in court.
Reacting to the ruling, the PDP hailed the judgment as a triumph 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 that could undermine Nigeria’s multi-party democratic system.
The PDP also called on its members in Ekiti State to intensify their campaigns ahead of the election, expressing confidence in victory with Oluyede as the party’s candidate.