The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially recognised the governorship candidate of the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) for the upcoming June 2026 Ekiti State election, while conspicuously excluding the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from its final list.
According to the final list of candidates obtained by Spear News Nigeria from the commission on Monday, Mr. Olajuyin Ikusayadegbe Oyebanji will fly the LP flag in the gubernatorial contest.
The list, which features candidates from 12 political parties, confirms the exclusion of the PDP, suggesting the party may have failed to meet INECās submission deadline, encountered disqualifying issues with its candidate, or is embroiled in an unresolved internal nomination crisis.
Here is the news story based on your headline and request, with no subheading and only the candidates and parties listed in a clean format.
The list, which features candidates from 12 political parties, confirms the exclusion of the PDP, suggesting the party failed to meet INECās submission deadline due to unresolved internal conflicts.
List of parties and candidates
A (Accord)
Governorship: Falegan Opeyemi David
Deputy: Omoyeni Bayode
AAC (African Action Congress)
Governorship: Akande Oluwasegun Samuel
Deputy: Fajuyigbe Oluwasanmi John
ADC (African Democratic Congress)
Governorship: Bejide Oluwadare Patrick
Deputy: Babatola Ayodeji
ADP (Action Democratic Party)
Governorship: Ojo Ayodeji
Deputy: Ibitoye Itunu
APC (All Progressives Congress)
Governorship: Oyebanji Abiodun Abayomi
Deputy: Afuye Monisade
APM (Allied Peoples Movement)
Governorship: Anifowose Joseph Olanrewaju
Deputy: Ilesanmi Margret Adenike
APP (Action Peoples Party)
Governorship: Awogbemi Bidemi Olaiya
Deputy: Adewumi Akinyemi
LP (Labour Party)
Governorship: Olajuyin Ikusayadegbe Oyebanji
Deputy: Okumade Ayokunle Odumayo
NNPP (New Nigeria Peoples Party)
Governorship: Abegunde Ayobami Blessing
Deputy: Ajayi Francis Ade
PRP (Peoples Redemption Party)
Governorship: Ayodele Olaniyi Olanrewaju Praise
Deputy: Adebiyi Modupe Dorcas
YPP (Young Progressives Party)
Governorship: Osinkolu Olusegun Ayodele
Deputy: Arowolo David Olusesan
ZLP (Zenith Labour Party)
Governorship: Adetunji Victor Damilola
Deputy: Oyeniyi Adesina Charles
The inclusion of the Abure-led LP faction’s candidate solidifies its recognition by INEC as the authentic Labour Party structure in the state for this election cycle.
In an interview with Spear News Nigeria, Labour Party National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh dismissed notions of a deep-seated factional split, framing the party’s highly public infighting as a narrow campaign targeting its chairman.
āWe have no faction in the Labour Party. Those fermenting crisis in the party are just after Abure. They want him out”, Ifoh stated.
His comments directly attribute the ongoing crisis to a personal dispute with National Chairman Julius Abure, rather than to any broader ideological or structural rift within the party’s membership.
This defense emerges against a backdrop of sustained internal crisis, including legal challenges and a very public power struggle with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which has sought to unseat Abure’s leadership.
Meanwhile, the PDPās absence sets the stage for a significant contest primarily between the incumbent APC and other challengers, with the PDP now facing a major political and legal hurdle to participate.
Spear News Nigeria had reported in December that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) escalated its protest against the exclusion of its governorship candidate, Oluwole Oluyede, from the official list for the 2026 Ekiti State election, threatening legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In a strongly-worded statement released, the party condemned the omission as a deliberate act of bias by the commission’s current leadership. The PDP maintained that it followed every required procedure for Oluyede’s nomination, including formally notifying INEC of its primary election, which the commission itself monitored and confirmed as compliant with electoral
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