Wednesday, January 14, 2026 - The Federal High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, on Tuesday nullified the Peoples Democratic Party governorship primaries held on November 8, 2025, a ruling that has prompted the winner of the exercise, Dr. Wole Oluyede, to announce plans to appeal.
Justice Babs Kuewumi gave the ruling following a suit filed
by an aspirant, Funso Ayeni, who challenged the primary on grounds that it
violated the party’s guidelines and the Electoral Act.
The judge ordered the party to conduct a fresh election to
select its candidate.
Ayeni, through his counsel, Kola Kolade (SAN), argued that
the PDP failed to present the original and authentic list of statutory and ad
hoc delegates used for the exercise, a lapse he described as a fundamental
breach rendering the election invalid.
In his judgment, Justice Kuewumi held, “The conduct of the
primary election did not comply with the provisions of the law and the party’s
constitution. Consequently, the primary election is hereby nullified.”
The judge directed the PDP, in conjunction with the
Independent National Electoral Commission, to organise a fresh primary in
strict compliance with legal and party guidelines.
Justice Kuewumi emphasized that all eligible aspirants must
be allowed to participate in the rerun to ensure transparency, fairness, and
internal democracy within the party.
Reacting to the judgment, the winner of the nullified
primary Dr. Wole Oluyede,through his counsel, Owoseni Ajayi, expressed
dissatisfaction and confirmed that an appeal would be filed, including a
request for a stay of execution
Oluyede had earlier been excluded from INEC’s official list
of governorship candidates for the June 20, 2026 election, published on
December 29, 2025.
Oluyede has vowed to challenge the exclusion, asserting his
intention to explore all legal avenues to have his name restored and
participate in the election.
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