Ekiti 2026: Court nullifies PDP primaries, orders fresh exercise
A Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, has nullified the governorship primary of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
The PDP conducted its governorship primary on November 8, 2024, during which Dr Wole Oluyede emerged the winner after defeating Dr Funso Ayeni and Mrs Funmilayo Ogun.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) omitted Oluyede and his running mate, Deji Ogunsakin, in the provisional list of candidates published on December 29, 2025 ahead of the June 20 governorship poll.
Aggrieved by the outcome of the primary, Ayeni approached the court through his counsel, Mr Kola Kolade (SAN), seeking the nullification of the exercise on the grounds that it failed to comply with the party’s constitution and guidelines.
The plaintiff contended that the PDP did not present the original and authentic list of statutory and ad hoc delegates used for the primary election, describing the omission as a fundamental breach of the party’s guidelines and the Electoral Act.
In his judgement delivered on Tuesday in the suit marked FHC/AD/CS/29/2025, Justice Babs Kuewumi held that the conduct of the primary election did not comply with the provisions of the law and the PDP constitution.
The court consequently nullified the governorship primary and ordered the PDP, in conjunction with INEC, to conduct a fresh primary election in strict compliance with the law and relevant guidelines.
Justice Kuewumi further directed that all qualified aspirants be allowed to participate in the fresh exercise to promote transparency, fairness, and internal democracy within the party.
Reacting to the ruling, counsel to Oluyede, Mr Owoseni Ajayi, expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment, stating that steps had already been taken to appeal the decision, including filing an application for a stay of execution.