Judiciary symbol
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish Dr. Oluwole Oluyede’s name as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the June 2026 Ekiti governorship election.
Justice Mohammed Umar, in a judgment, also ordered INEC to include the name and logo of PDP in the ballot paper for the poll.
Justice Umar held that the application by the plaintiffs; PDP and Oluyede, had merit and was accordingly granted.
The judge, who said the plaintiffs had a reasonable cause of action and entitled to the reliefs sought, agreed with the PDP and Oluyede that the case before the court wa not the issue of the validity of the office of the party’s national chairman and national secretary
The PDP and Oluyede, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/40/2026, had dragged INEC before the judge as sole defendant.
The plaintiffs, who posed six questions, asked whether having regard to the provisions of Sections 29(1) & (3) and 84(5)(b)(ii) of the Electoral Act, 2022, it was not illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional for INEC to publish Oluyede’s name, among other candidates for the poll.
They prayed the court to determine that INEC, having monitored, witnessed and produced a report of the party’s governorship primary election properly conducted on Nov. 8 and 9, 2025 which produced Oluyede as its govenorship candidate for the election, was not in breach of the laws for refusing to publish Oluyede’s name.
They, therefore, sought an order compelling the defendant to accord recognition to and publish the name of the 2nd plaintiff (Oluyede) as the governorship candidate of the 1st plaintiff (PDP) for the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election, ” among the 11 reliefs.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Umar held that the suit was not whether or not the defendant should accept the candidacy of the 2nd plaintiff who emerged from a valid primary election.
“The point has been already made above that the apex court has settled the fact that the defendant is not to refuse the names submitted to it by political parties by clinging on the qualifications of those submitting same,” he said.
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 flag bearer for the 2026 governorship election in the 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.(NAN)
