News Editor
The Federal High Court in Abuja has delivered a landmark judgment affirming the candidacy of Dr. Wole Oluyede as the official flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the upcoming June 20, 2026, Ekiti State Governorship election.
In a ruling delivered this morning, the presiding judge found significant merit in the reliefs sought by the applicant, effectively quashing the previous exclusion of the party from the electoral process.
The court characterized the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) refusal to publish the PDP candidate’s name as both “illegal and unlawful.”
Key Judicial Declarations:
• Illegal Exclusion: The court declared that INEC acted outside its legal powers by neglecting to publish the PDP candidate’s name following the party’s primary process.
• Mandatory Inclusion: The court issued an Order of Mandamus, compelling and directing INEC to immediately include and publish Dr. Wole Oluyede’s name on the official list of candidates for the Ekiti polls.
• Lack of Discretionary Power: The judgment clarified that INEC has no legal authority to unilaterally disqualify or refuse the publication of a candidate submitted by a recognized political party without a valid legal basis.
This ruling marks a major turning point in the Ekiti governorship race.
