Ekiti PDP Thrown Back to the Drawing Board as Court Faults Governorship Primary Process
By Gbenga Sodeinde In Ado-Ekiti
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has been compelled to restart its 2026 governorship selection process following a Federal High Court ruling that faulted the conduct of its primary election.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday by Justice Babs Kuewumi of the Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, declared the party’s governorship primary invalid over non-compliance with statutory and party guidelines, particularly the failure to produce an authentic delegates’ list.
The suit was instituted by one of the party’s governorship aspirants, Mr. Funsho Ayeni, who challenged the legitimacy of the primary election conducted on November 8, 2025, arguing that the process violated both the Electoral Act and the PDP constitution.
Ayeni contended that the PDP failed to present the original and verified list of statutory and ad hoc delegates used for the exercise, a lapse he described as a fundamental procedural defect capable of voiding the entire process.
In his judgment, Justice Kuewumi upheld the argument, ruling that the absence of the authentic delegates’ list undermined the credibility of the primary and rendered it inconsistent with extant laws and party regulations.
The court consequently set aside the outcome of the primary and ordered the PDP, in conjunction with the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), to conduct a fresh governorship primary election in strict adherence to legal and party requirements.
Justice Kuewumi also directed that all qualified aspirants must be allowed to participate in the new exercise, stressing the need for transparency, fairness and internal democracy within the party.
The nullified primary had produced Dr. Wole Oluyede as winner after he polled 279 votes to defeat Mr. Ayeni and another aspirant, Mrs. Funmi Ogun. The exercise was conducted by an electoral committee led by former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo.
The matter, marked FHC/AD/CS/29/2025, had earlier been adjourned to December 8, 2025, for further hearing before judgment was eventually fixed following the final adjournment.
At the last sitting, Mr. Kola Kolade, SAN, led counsel for Ayeni, while Chief Ola Olanipekun, SAN, and Mr. Owoseni Ajayi represented Dr. Oluyede. The PDP was represented by its Osun State Legal Adviser, Mr. Ola Alonge.
Justice Kuewumi had, after listening to arguments from all parties, assured that the case would receive accelerated hearing in view of its political importance.