Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the exclusion of its governorship candidate from the list of contestants for the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election, describing the action as further proof of what it called the Commission’s bias against the party.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said the omission of its candidate’s name and details by INEC was unjustifiable, insisting that the party fully complied with all legal and procedural requirements for the nomination process.
According to the party, INEC was formally notified of the PDP governorship primaries in Ekiti State and actively monitored the exercise. It added that the Commission subsequently issued reports confirming that the primaries were conducted democratically and in line with existing laws.
The PDP explained that following the successful primaries, INEC released nomination portal codes to the party, which enabled access to the official nomination forms. However, the party alleged that the Commission later blocked the portal code a few days to the submission deadline, forcing it to submit the required documents manually at INEC’s office—an action it said was duly acknowledged by the Commission.
The party argued that given the serious implications of excluding a validly nominated candidate from an election, INEC ought to have acted responsibly by including the name of Dr. Oluwole Oluyede, whom it described as the duly nominated PDP governorship candidate for Ekiti State.
The PDP further stated that there is no conflicting submission before INEC challenging the validity of Dr. Oluyede’s nomination, nor is there any court order restraining the Commission from recognising him as the party’s candidate. It stressed that INEC’s own monitoring report supports the legitimacy of the primaries and the nomination process.
Following INEC’s decision, the PDP announced that it has commenced legal steps to approach the court to compel the Commission to include its candidate in the list of contestants for the election.
While acknowledging the rigours of what it described as a “long and tortuous” legal process, the party reminded INEC of Nigerians’ expectations that the Commission must remain independent, impartial and neutral in the conduct of electoral matters.
The PDP warned that INEC must act in defence of democracy rather than in opposition to it, cautioning that actions perceived as biased could ultimately undermine the integrity of the electoral process.