The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to return Oladipupo Adebutu as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State.
Justice Peter Lifu gave the order on Friday in the suit filed by the PDP and Adebutu against INEC.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2573/2026, was filed on October 22 after INEC omitted Adebutu’s name from the final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship election in Ogun State.
The PDP and Adebutu had asked the court to set aside INEC’s decision to omit, remove or refuse to publish Adebutu’s name in the final list published on October 10.
They argued that the omission violated his right to fair hearing and the provisions of Sections 29 and 32 of the Electoral Act, 2026.
They also asked the court to compel INEC to publish Adebutu’s name as the PDP governorship candidate for Ogun State within 24 hours of the order.
INEC, in its counter-affidavit, had told the court that Adebutu’s name was not found in the register of members the PDP earlier submitted to it.
The commission, through Mustapha Mohammed, a Chief Programme Analyst in its Information and Communication Technology Department, said it found only the name of the PDP’s deputy governorship candidate in the state, Kolapo Lateefat Oyeyemi, in the register.
INEC also faulted Adebutu’s claim to membership serial number 1536, saying its records showed that the number belonged to one Lugboso Sunday Seun.
But Justice Lifu, after listening to the parties and adopting their final written addresses, ruled in favour of the PDP and Adebutu and ordered INEC to restore his name.