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From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the June 20, 2026, governorship election in Ekiti State, Dr Wole Oluyede, has disclosed that the reason he formally withdrew the petition he filed before the Election Petition Tribunal challenging the re-election of Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was in the overall interest of the people of the state.
Oluyede disclosed this while featuring on a live interview programme, where he said he put aside his personal interest and took the action after he accepted the appeals made to him by some well-meaning individuals and President Bola Tinubu.
“I withdrew the petition at the tribunal and it was struck out today, Tuesday. I withdrew it based on the intervention of my family, my brother, the progressive caucus and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“I thank God we didn’t lose a soul in the course of the election, nobody was shot, maimed or killed and I am happy about that. People have to understand that life goes beyond politics.”
He, however, said that although the gubernatorial election was fraught with irregularities, he had to let it go, which formed the basis for withdrawing the petition.
Oluyede, who is rooting for the re-election bid of President Tinubu, stressed that the performance of the President informed his decision to support his ambition despite their long relationship, which dated back to when he (Oluyede) was in the All Progressives Congress and was one of the major financiers of the South-West Agenda for Asiwaju (SWAGA).
“No more fuel scarcity, there is increase in Gross Domestic Product which is buttressed by the World Bank. The question now is, how do we tap from the ongoing development as Ekiti people? This forms the basis of my political group, Oluyede Progressive Alliance for Renewed Hope Agenda – OPARHA.”
He revealed that the President invited him to support his candidature and maintained that he was not aware of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.
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He expressed that he was targeting over 90 per cent of the total votes from Ekiti in collaboration with the State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, and other critical stakeholders.
“Let me assure you that though, the President invited me, we discussed and he asked me to support his re-election and we didn’t discuss anything about what he wants to offer me but I am supporting him based on Ekiti interest and I am too expensive to buy.”
The medical consultant, however, advised, when asked about the health sector: “I am interested in the Universal Health Program that will take care of the health of virtually everybody in Ekiti and it will not be totally free which is different from the health insurance.”
Oluyede used the occasion to thank God and appreciate the people of Ekiti for the show of love and support during the June 20 gubernatorial election and urged them to maintain the tempo in future elections.
On Tuesday, the Tribunal, at its first sitting in Ado-Ekiti, struck out the petition following the motion of withdrawal filed by the PDP flag bearer before the three-member panel of judges led by Justice Abubakar Idris Kutigi. Other members of the panel are Justice Aminu Tukur and Justice Maurice Okediya.
The Tribunal Chairman, Justice Kutigi, subsequently struck out Oluyede’s petition in line with the wish of the petitioner, whose motion to withdraw the petition had earlier been moved by his counsel, who also represented the PDP, Mr Paul Komolafe.
Counsel to Governor Oyebanji and APC, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), and counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr Sulaiman Ibrahim, did not oppose the motion of the petitioners (Oluyede and PDP) to withdraw their petition from the Tribunal.
