By James Adamu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been given a 24-hour ultimatum by the Federal High Court in Abuja to restore and publish the name of Hon. Ladi Adebutu as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Ogun State ahead of the 2027 general election.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Peter Lifu declared that INEC acted outside the bounds of the law by unilaterally striking Adebutu’s name off the candidate list without first securing a valid court order. The court maintained that the electoral body lacks the statutory power to disqualify or remove any candidate validly sponsored by a political party without approaching a court of competent jurisdiction.
In a comprehensive ruling, Justice Lifu resolved all four issues raised in the suit in favor of Adebutu. The court dismissed INEC’s reliance on a previous Supreme Court judgment to justify the removal, noting that Adebutu was not a party to that suit and could not be bound by its outcome.
Justice Lifu also took a swipe at INEC for raising issues regarding Adebutu’s candidacy months after the nomination processes had been concluded, describing the commission’s delayed action as an “absurdity.”
Addressing the controversy over the PDP membership register, the court noted that INEC had monitored the party’s primary election and initially published Adebutu’s name on its provisional list. The judge ruled that the PDP had sufficiently proven Adebutu’s membership in Ogun State, while INEC failed to provide credible evidence that the electronic register submitted by the party had been tampered with.
Consequently, Justice Lifu directed INEC to immediately reinstate Adebutu’s name and publish it on the commission’s portal within 24 hours.
The judgment effectively clears a major legal hurdle for Adebutu’s 2027 governorship bid and is expected to significantly reshape the political landscape in Ogun State as the election cycle gains momentum.
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