Court to Rule on PDP’s Request to Include Adebutu as Candidate for Ogun Governorship

The Federal High Court in Abuja will announce its decision on Friday regarding a case brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party is asking the court to force the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include Oladipupo Adebutu’s name as a candidate for the 2027 Ogun governorship election.

The judge, Peter Lifu, set the date after both sides presented their witnesses and arguments. The PDP and Adebutu filed the lawsuit on October 22 after INEC removed Adebutu’s name from the list of candidates for the governorship position.

In their lawsuit, the PDP and Adebutu claimed that INEC violated their rights by not including Adebutu’s name in the final list published on October 10. They are seeking several legal remedies, including a court order to have Adebutu’s name published as the official candidate for the party.

INEC, the only defendant in the case, argued that Adebutu’s name was not in the list of party members submitted to them. They stated that only the name of the PDP’s deputy governorship candidate was found in their records.

During the last court session on November 5, witnesses from both sides testified. The PDP’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, claimed that Adebutu’s name was included in a flash drive submitted to INEC. However, an INEC analyst maintained that Adebutu’s name was missing from their records.

After hearing from both parties, Justice Lifu scheduled the judgment for November 13.