Court Orders INEC to Publish Adebutu as Ogun PDP Governorship Candidate Within 24 Hours

Court Orders INEC to Publish Adebutu as Ogun PDP Governorship Candidate Within 24 Hours

 

ABUJA — The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reinstate and publish the name of Oladipupo Adebutu as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Ogun State within 24 hours.

 

The court, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, directed INEC to correct its previously published list of candidates following a legal dispute over the exclusion of Adebutu’s name.

 

The ruling represents a major development in the political battle over the PDP’s governorship ticket in Ogun State.

 

The dispute arose after INEC left Adebutu’s name off its list of candidates for the 2027 Ogun State governorship election, citing alleged discrepancies in the PDP membership register submitted to the commission.

 

INEC had maintained that its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department could not find Adebutu’s name in the register, although the name of the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Kolapo Lateefat Oyeyemi, was reportedly found.

 

However, the PDP challenged the commission’s position, insisting that Adebutu’s name was included in the electronic list of candidates submitted through a flash drive.

 

The party’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, testified that the PDP complied with the submission requirements and disputed the flash drive presented by INEC during the proceedings.

 

The electoral commission, through its witness, Mustapha Mohammed, maintained that Adebutu’s name was absent from the records submitted to it.

 

In its judgment, Justice Lifu held that INEC lacked the authority to remove a candidate sponsored by a political party without a court order.

 

The court further ruled that the PDP had established that Adebutu was a registered member of the party in Ogun State.

 

It also questioned INEC’s authority over the party’s membership register and faulted the commission for failing to establish that the flash drive submitted by the PDP had been altered.

 

Consequently, the judge directed INEC to immediately restore Adebutu’s name to the list of candidates and publish it within 24 hours.

 

The judgment clears a major legal hurdle for Adebutu’s participation in the 2027 Ogun governorship election under the PDP platform.

 

Court Orders INEC to Publish Adebutu as Ogun PDP Governorship Candidate Within 24 Hours