James Adamu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced its intention to approach the courts to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include its candidate, Dr. Oluwole Oluyede, in the list of contestants for the 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election.
This was contained in a press statement signed by its factional National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, on Tuesday, the party described INEC’s omission of Dr. Oluyede’s name as a confirmation of the Commission’s “biased disposition” towards its affairs.
The PDP outlined a detailed sequence of events to support its claim of a valid nomination. According to the party, INEC was duly notified, attended, and monitored its governorship primaries.
The Commission subsequently issued reports confirming that the exercise complied with all extant laws and was democratically conducted.
The controversy, the party alleges, began when INEC released the nomination portal codes to the PDP, which were used to access the official nomination forms. However, the PDP claims that INEC “disingenuously blocked the code a few days before the submission date,” forcing the party to resort to a manual submission at INEC’s office—a submission it says was officially acknowledged.
“Being fully aware of the grave and far-reaching consequences of excluding a validly nominated candidate from an election, INEC ought to have acted with caution and responsibility,” the statement read. The party argued that including Dr. Oluyede’s name would have been the “safest and most lawful course of action.”
The PDP emphasised that there is no contrary submission before INEC disputing the validity of Dr. Oluyede’s nomination, nor is there any court order restraining the Commission from recognizing him. It stated that INEC’s own monitoring report stands as testament to the legitimacy of the process.
Having “failed to act appropriately,” the PDP declared it has “immediately taken steps to approach the courts to compel INEC to do what it ought to have done in the first place.”
While bracing for what it termed a “long and tortuous legal route,” the opposition party issued a caution to the electoral body. It urged INEC to remember the expectations of Nigerians for it to remain “independent, impartial, and neutral.”
The statement concluded with a metaphorical warning: “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.”
As of the time of the statement, INEC is yet to issue an official response to the PDP’s allegations and the impending lawsuit.
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