A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish Ladi Adebutu as the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State within 24 hours, ruling that the commission acted unlawfully by dropping his name.
Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment on Friday in a suit filed by Adebutu and the PDP after INEC left the party’s candidate out of its final list for the Ogun governorship election, scheduled for February 6, 2027.
The court declared the exclusion unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void. Justice Lifu held that INEC “acted beyond its statutory powers” and that only a court can invalidate a candidate’s nomination, not the commission acting on its own.
INEC had published its final list on October 10 with 13 candidates and no PDP candidate. It said the party failed to comply with membership register requirements under the Electoral Act 2026, provisions the Supreme Court upheld in September in a separate case.
The PDP held its primary on May 24, with INEC monitoring it. The party argued that it submitted its candidate list on a flash drive containing Adebutu’s name, and disputed the device INEC presented in court.
INEC’s witness admitted under cross-examination that he was not the person who received the flash drive. The judge held that failing to call that officer was fatal to the commission’s case, and found that the register listed Adebutu at serial number 1536.
Justice Lifu also said nomination belongs to political parties, and that INEC’s duty to publish names is administrative. He warned that allowing such a power would be a “dangerous show of power” that could enable disqualifications days before an election.
The judge rejected INEC’s preliminary objection, holding that the suit was properly filed under the Pre-Election Matters Rules 2026. He made no order as to costs.
INEC has yet to say whether it will comply or appeal. Non-compliance with the order could expose the commission to contempt proceedings.
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