Just in: Court orders INEC to publish Adebutu’s name as Ogun PDP gov candidate
ABUJA — The Federal High Court has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of Oladipupo Adebutu as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the 2027 Ogun State governorship election within 24 hours.
In a ruling delivered on Friday, Justice Peter Lifu determined that INEC does not have the authority to unilaterally remove a validly nominated candidate from the ballot. He characterized the commission’s actions as unconstitutional and declared them ineffective.
Justice Lifu noted that only the Federal High Court or a state high court has the power to declare a candidate invalid, emphasizing that INEC breached Adebutu’s right to a fair hearing.
The court dismissed a preliminary objection put forth by INEC, affirming that the lawsuit brought by Adebutu and the PDP was competent. The plaintiffs filed their suit on October 22 after INEC removed Adebutu’s name from the list of candidates for the Ogun governorship seat.
Represented by attorney Ahmed Raji, SAN, Adebutu and the PDP named INEC as the sole defendant in the case. The plaintiffs posited six questions for determination and sought 11 specific reliefs from the court.
Among their requests was an order to overturn INEC’s decision to omit, remove, or refuse to publish Adebutu’s name from the final list of candidates released on October 10, citing a denial of fair hearing and violations of relevant provisions in the Electoral Act of 2026. Additionally, they sought an order compelling INEC to include Adebutu’s name as the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate for Ogun State in the upcoming 2027 general election.
