Ekiti Guber Poll: PDP Heads to Court to Compel INEC to Recognise Its Candidate

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has said that it would seek a court directive to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise its governorship candidate in Ekiti State.

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ini Ememobong, the party said the exclusion of the name and particulars of party’s candidate from the list of candidates for the 2026 Governorship Election in Ekiti State by INEC was another confirmation of the biased disposition of the current leadership of the Commission towards the affairs of the PDP.

According to Ememobong, ‘’For the avoidance of doubt, INEC was duly notified of the conduct of our party’s governorship primaries.

‘’The Commission attended and monitored the exercise and subsequently issued reports confirming that the primaries complied with all extant laws and were democratically conducted.

‘’Following this, INEC released the relevant nomination portal codes to our party, through which the official nomination forms were accessed, before they disingenuously blocked the code a few days before the submission date, causing us to resort to manual submission at their office (receipt of which was 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 by including the name of Dr. Oluwole Oluyede, the duly nominated candidate of the PDP, in the published list of candidates.

‘’This would have been the safest and most lawful course of action for the Commission, had it acted without bias,’’ the PDP spokesman stated.

He said there was no contrary submission before INEC disputing the validity of Dr. Oluyede’s nomination, adding also that, ‘’There is also no court order restraining the Commission from recognising him as the PDP’s candidate.

‘’Indeed, INEC’s own monitoring report attests to the validity of the primaries and the nomination process.

‘’Having failed to act appropriately, our party has immediately taken steps to approach the courts to compel INEC to do what it ought to have done in the first place.

‘’While we undertake this long and tortuous legal route, we once again draw the attention of INEC to the expectations of Nigerians that the Commission must remain independent, impartial, and neutral in matters relating to political parties and the electoral process.

‘’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,’’ Ememobong stated.