Court orders INEC to publish Adebutu’s Ogun candidacy
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard, P.M. News, Punch and ThisDay
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday ordered Nigeria’s electoral commission (INEC) to reinstate Ladi Adebutu as the PDP’s candidate for governor of Ogun in 2027 within 24 hours. Judge Peter Lifu found that INEC had exceeded its powers by removing his name from the list of candidates, according to Vanguard.
INEC had removed Adebutu from the final list published on 10 October, while the PDP had announced his candidacy on 29 August after his victory in the party primary on 24 May 2026. The PDP and Adebutu had gone to court on 22 October to challenge the omission.
Judge Peter Lifu rejected INEC’s preliminary objection, finding that the proceedings brought by the applicants were admissible. During the hearing, the PDP’s national organising secretary, Umar Bature, said that the membership register and information on the candidates had been submitted to INEC within the deadline. The commission’s witness, Mustapha Mohammed, acknowledged that he was not the official who had received the documents.
The ruling orders INEC to correct the list published on 10 October to include Adebutu. The judge found that the commission should have approached a court if it considered the candidate ineligible.
