The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to restore the name of Ladi Adebutu as the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election in Ogun State.
The court ordered the electoral commission to update its list of candidates within 24 hours to reflect Adebutu’s name.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that INEC had no constitutional authority to independently disqualify a candidate who had been validly nominated by a political party.
The judge also held that the commission violated Adebutu’s right to fair hearing by removing his name without giving him an opportunity to respond to the allegations against him.
He described INEC’s action as unlawful, unconstitutional and without legal effect.
Justice Lifu maintained that the authority to disqualify a candidate whose name had been submitted by a political party rests with the Federal High Court or a State High Court.
He said the commission should have approached a court of competent jurisdiction if it had concerns about Adebutu’s eligibility to contest the election.
The court further upheld the validity of the PDP governorship primary conducted on May 24, 2026, in which Adebutu emerged as the party’s candidate.
It also rejected INEC’s argument that Adebutu was not qualified because his name was allegedly missing from the party’s membership register.
The judge noted that the commission’s witness, Mustapha Mohammed, admitted during cross-examination that he was not the official who received the flash drive containing the PDP membership register.
Consequently, the court directed INEC to correct the candidates’ list it published on October 10, 2026, and include Adebutu’s name.
The ruling represents a major development in the PDP’s preparations for the 2027 Ogun State governorship election.
