Court Directs INEC To Restore Adebutu’s Name, Publish Within 24 Hours, As Ogun Gov. Candidate Of PDP

 

By Ayodele Oni

Reprieve has come for Oladipupo Ladi Adebutu  the Peoples Democratic Party PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State for the February 2027 election as the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja  recognised him as a candidate in the election.

Justice Peter Lifu, on Friday, faulted the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,to exclude his name from the final list of candidates.

Adebutu had approached the court alongside the PDP in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2573/2026, challenging INEC’s decision to omit his name from the list published on

October 10.

The Commission had defended its action, arguing that Adebutu’s name was missing from the PDP membership register submitted to it, as required by Section 77(5)–(7) of the Electoral Act 2026.

INEC also maintained that its search of the register identified the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Kolapo Lateefat Oyeyemi, but returned no record matching Adebutu’s name.

However, the PDP disputed INEC’s position, with its National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, telling the court that Adebutu’s name was contained in the membership records submitted by the party.

The plaintiffs also argued that INEC’s exclusion of the candidate violated relevant provisions of the Electoral Act and his right to fair hearing.

The court held that INEC lacked the authority to unilaterally remove a candidate validly sponsored by a political party without a court order.

Justice Lifu also ruled that the commission breached Adebutu’s right to fair hearing by excluding his name from the final list of governorship candidates.

The suit, was instituted by Adebutu and the PDP on October 22, following INEC’s omission of his name from the final candidates’ list published on October 10.

Consequently, the court directed INEC to restore Adebutu’s name and publish it within 24 hours.