COURT ORDERS INEC TO REINSTATE LADI ADEBUTU AS OGUN PDP GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE WITHIN 24 HOURS

COURT ORDERS INEC TO REINSTATE LADI ADEBUTU AS OGUN PDP GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE WITHIN 24 HOURS Federal High Court declares exclusion unlawful, says electoral commission cannot independently disqualify a duly nominated candidate By Princess Aladegoroye Credit: Nubia Africa TV 13th, November,2026 The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reinstate the name of Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, on its official list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship election within 24 hours. The landmark judgment, delivered on Friday, November 13, 2026, by Justice Peter Lifu, represents a significant development in the political and legal contest surrounding the forthcoming Ogun State governorship election. The court held that INEC acted beyond its constitutional and statutory powers by excluding Adebutu from the list of candidates without first according him the opportunity to defend himself or obtaining an appropriate court order disqualifying him. Justice Lifu consequently declared the commission's action unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void, stressing that the electoral body could not independently exercise powers reserved for courts of competent jurisdiction. The judge maintained that once a political party has validly conducted its primary election and forwarded the name of its candidate to INEC, the commission cannot arbitrarily remove that candidate from the electoral list. The ruling followed a suit instituted by the PDP and Adebutu after INEC published its final list of candidates for the 2027 Ogun governorship election on October 10, 2026, without including the opposition party's candidate. COURT REJECTS INEC'S PRELIMINARY OBJECTION Before delivering its decision on the substantive issues, the court dismissed INEC's preliminary objection challenging the competence of the suit. Justice Lifu examined the originating summons and found that the processes were properly filed and signed by legal counsel, thereby establishing the competence of the plaintiffs' action. ADEBUTU'S NOMINATION AND THE CONTROVERSY Evidence before the court indicated that the PDP conducted its governorship primary election on May 24, 2026, during which Adebutu emerged as the party's candidate. The party subsequently published his name on August 29, 2026, without any immediate challenge to the nomination. Following the publication of INEC's final list in October, the PDP discovered that Adebutu's name had been omitted, despite the party's position that he had neither withdrawn from the race nor been lawfully disqualified. The party and its candidate reportedly wrote to INEC on October 14, requesting that the omission be corrected, but the commission did not reverse its position. MEMBERSHIP REGISTER DISPUTE: COURT EXAMINES INEC'S EVIDENCE A major aspect of the case centred on the PDP membership register and the electronic storage device allegedly submitted to INEC. The commission maintained that Adebutu's name was not contained in the membership register presented by the party and relied on evidence from its Information and Communication Technology Department. An INEC official, Mustapha Mohammed, who testified as a defence witness, told the court that a search conducted by his department did not produce Adebutu's name, although the name of his deputy governorship candidate appeared in the records. During cross-examination, however, the witness admitted that he was not the official who personally received the flash drive from the PDP. This became an important consideration in the court's assessment of the reliability of the commission's position. The judge also considered the plaintiffs' account that the party submitted its membership information electronically in line with the applicable guidelines. The court was concerned with the evidential gap surrounding the actual device submitted by the party and the inability of INEC's witness to establish conclusively what had been received. FAIR HEARING: COURT FAULTS ELECTORAL COMMISSION Justice Lifu held that Adebutu ought to have been given an opportunity to respond before a decision affecting his political rights and participation in the electoral process was taken. The court stressed that the right to fair hearing is a fundamental principle of Nigerian jurisprudence and that administrative decisions affecting an individual's rights must comply with due process. The judge further clarified that the Supreme Court's earlier pronouncement concerning political party membership registers did not confer on INEC an unrestricted authority to independently remove candidates from electoral lists. Where the commission believes that a candidate has failed to satisfy the requirements of the law, the judge said, it must seek appropriate judicial intervention rather than assume the powers of a court. POLITICAL PARTIES RETAIN THE POWER TO NOMINATE CANDIDATES The court reaffirmed that the nomination of candidates for elections is primarily the responsibility of political parties. Justice Lifu explained that INEC's role in receiving and publishing candidates' names does not automatically give the commission authority to determine or substitute candidates nominated by political parties. The judge reasoned that allowing an electoral commission to independently disqualify candidates without judicial intervention could create uncertainty and undermine the rights of political parties and their members. The authority to disqualify a candidate after the candidate's name has been submitted, the court maintained, rests with a court of competent jurisdiction. INEC DIRECTED TO CORRECT ITS OCTOBER 10 CANDIDATES' LIST Having resolved the substantive issues in favour of the PDP and Adebutu, the court held that the plaintiffs' case was meritorious. Justice Lifu ordered INEC to correct the candidates' list published on October 10, 2026, and publish Adebutu's name as the PDP governorship candidate for the February 6, 2027 Ogun State election within 24 hours of the judgment. The court further held that INEC could not lawfully conclude the governorship election without the participation of the plaintiffs, in view of its findings in the case. No order as to costs was made. A SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT AHEAD OF THE 2027 OGUN ELECTION The judgment is expected to have considerable implications for the political atmosphere in Ogun State as political parties intensify preparations for the 2027 governorship election. For the PDP, the ruling provides an important legal victory and restores its candidate to the centre of the electoral contest, subject to implementation of the court's order and any further legal developments. For INEC, the judgment reinforces the need to exercise its regulatory responsibilities strictly within the limits of the law, particularly in matters involving political party nominations, candidate eligibility and the publication of election lists. More broadly, the decision highlights the importance of judicial oversight in protecting democratic participation, political rights and the integrity of Nigeria's electoral process. As the countdown to the February 2027 governorship election continues, attention will now turn to INEC's compliance with the 24-hour directive and the next stage of political developments in Ogun State. nubiaafrica.blogspot NUBIA AFRICA TV News|Media | Brand | Culture | Tourism Reporting with credibility, promoting public interest and telling Africa's stories.