The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the name of Oladipupo Adebutu as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the 2027 Ogun State governorship election within 24 hours.
Justice Peter Lifu issued the directive on Friday in a judgment on a suit filed by Adebutu and the PDP challenging INEC's decision to exclude his name from the final list of governorship candidates.
Delivering the judgment, Lifu ruled that the electoral commission had no legal authority to independently disqualify or remove a candidate validly nominated by a political party.
The judge maintained that the power to invalidate a candidate's nomination rests with a court of competent jurisdiction and not INEC.
He consequently declared the commission's action unconstitutional, unlawful and without legal effect.
The court also held that INEC violated Adebutu's right to fair hearing by excluding his name without giving him an opportunity to defend his nomination.
Justice Lifu dismissed the preliminary objection raised by INEC and affirmed that the suit was competent.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adebutu and the PDP instituted the action on October 22 after discovering that his name was missing from the final list of candidates for the Ogun governorship election published by INEC on October 10.
The plaintiffs had approached the court through their counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, with INEC as the sole defendant.
They presented six questions for determination and sought 11 reliefs, including an order setting aside the commission's decision to omit or refuse to publish Adebutu's name.
They contended that the decision breached their right to fair hearing and violated Sections 29 and 32 of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Specifically, they urged the court to compel INEC to publish Adebutu's name as the PDP's governorship candidate for Ogun State within 24 hours of its order.
The court upheld their position and directed the electoral umpire to comply with the demand.
The ruling represents a significant development in the PDP's preparations for the 2027 Ogun governorship election, with Adebutu now set to be recognised in the commission's official list of candidates.
(NAN)
Leave a Reply