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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has rejected the final list of gubernatorial candidates for the June 20, 2026 election released on Monday, January 19, 2026 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The INEC on Monday unveiled what it called the final list of governorship candidates that will participate in the forthcoming election excluding the name of the PDP candidate, Dr Wole Oluyede from the list.
Oluyede’s Special Adviser on Media, Gani Salau, made this known on Monday, in a statement, entitled, ‘THE FINAL LIST OF CANDIDATES RELEASED TODAY BY INEC IS NOT FINAL’.
The PDP maintained that it would participate in the June election, noting that the party has approached the court over the exclusion of its candidate’s name from INEC’s list and that the commission’s list should not be seen as the end of the race.
The statement reads,” The provisional list released by INEC in December, 2025 didn’t have the name of the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP, Dr Wole Oluyede, of which the party immediately took the legal option.
” Since the judiciary is the last hope of the common man, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Wole Oluyede instituted a case at the Federal High Court, Abuja seeking for an order of mandamus to compel INEC to publish his name having received his name after the November 8, 2025 gubernatorial primary election monitored, supervised and even sworn to an affidavit confirming the candidature of Dr Wole Oluyede.
“The case comes up in Abuja this week and we believe as a party that the court will compel INEC to publish the name of Dr Wole Oluyede as the duly elected candidate of the PDP.
“Arising from the primary election which one of the gubernatorial aspirants, Funsho Ayeni, instituted a case against the outcome of the primary that he was not satisfied with the process which led to the decision of the Federal High Court 1, Ado Ekiti on the 13th of January to direct a fresh primary, the party has filed a stay of execution and also appealed the judgement at the Court of Appeal, Ado Ekiti division.
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“The court has compelling power over INEC which Ekiti State will not be the first to experience this.
“With these developments, we are assuring members of the PDP and Ekiti people to remain calm and will continue to keep them abreast of the situation as we expect favourable judgements.
“Dr Wole Oluyede becomes more popular than before. Not only that he remains the candidate of the PDP but he is a candidate to beat in the June 2026 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State. Our detractors are at work but at the end of the day, we shall be victorious. This time shall pass.”
Dr Wole Oluyede had emerged the winner of the PDP gubernatorial primary election conducted on November 8, 2025 by the Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo-led electoral committee in the state.
Oluyede emerged the winner after securing 279 votes, defeating Funso Ayeni, who got 239 votes, and a woman contestant, Funmi Ogun, who scored 17 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Funso Ayeni approached the court to challenge Oluyede’s victory.
On Monday, December 29, 2025, INEC published the names and particulars of governorship candidates for the election omitting the name of Oluyede from the list.
Also, on Tuesday, February 13, 2026, a Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State nullified the outcome of the November 8, 2025 governorship primary election of the PDP and ordered that a fresh governorship primary poll be conducted in the state.
But the PDP has appealed the judgement of the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, that ordered a fresh governorship primary election in the state.
