A Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti has nullified the nomination of Dr. Wole Oluyede as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the June 20, 2026, Ekiti State governorship election.
The court consequently ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary election to select a new flagbearer for the poll.
Delivering judgment on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, Justice Babs Kuewumi upheld allegations of widespread irregularities in the conduct of the party’s primary election held in November 2025.
The suit was instituted by one of the aspirants in the primary, Dr. Funso Ayeni, who polled 239 votes but challenged the outcome of the exercise, alleging that the process was fundamentally compromised.
Ayeni told the court that the delegate list approved for the primary was unlawfully altered on the day of the election, a development he argued gravely undermined the credibility, transparency, and fairness of the process.
In his ruling, Justice Kuewumi held that the primary election was tainted by a gross abuse of process and failed to comply with the PDP’s own electoral guidelines.
The court further ruled that the conduct of the primary was inconsistent with the provisions of the PDP Constitution as well as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, particularly on the principles governing internal party democracy.
Consequently, Justice Kuewumi nullified the nomination of Dr. Oluyede and directed the PDP to conduct a fresh governorship primary in strict compliance with relevant electoral laws and party regulations.
The judgment is seen as a major setback for the PDP’s preparations for the 2026 governorship contest, especially as it seeks to challenge the incumbent governor, Biodun Oyebanji, who was affirmed as the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus candidate in October 2025.
As of the time of filing this report, the PDP had yet to state whether it would appeal the judgment or proceed immediately with plans to organise the court-ordered fresh primary.
