Court Orders INEC to Reinstate Adebutu as PDP Candidate

On November 13, the Federal High Court in Abuja ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must publish Oladipupo Adebutu's name as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Ogun State in the 2027 general election within 24 hours. Justice Peter Lifu stated that INEC lacked the constitutional authority to unilaterally remove a candidate's name that was validly nominated by a political party.

The court found INEC's actions unconstitutional and unlawful, emphasizing that only a court could invalidate a candidate's nomination. The ruling also highlighted that Adebutu's right to a fair hearing was violated when his name was excluded without the opportunity to contest the decision.

The PDP and Adebutu had filed the suit on October 22 after discovering his name was omitted from the final candidate list published by INEC on October 10. They sought to challenge the legality of INEC's decision and requested that Adebutu's name be included as the party's candidate.