Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State have traded bitter accusations over the exclusion of the PDP’s governorship candidate, Honourable Oladipupo Adebutu, and his running mate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, from the final list of candidates published by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the February 6, 2027 governorship election, in a dispute that has thrust the state’s electoral preparations into uncertainty and raised fresh questions about the enforcement of the Electoral Act’s membership register provisions.
The final list, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony and published on the commission’s website on Saturday, October 10, 2026, features thirteen governorship candidates representing thirteen political parties in Ogun State. Neither Adebutu nor his running mate appeared on the list. Among the candidates listed are Adeola Solomon Olamilekan of the APC, Lawal Jimi Adebisi of the ADC, whose inclusion followed a court order, and representatives of the Accord Party, Action Alliance, Action Democratic Party, Allied Peoples Movement, Action Peoples Party, Boot Party, National Democratic Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, National Rescue Movement, Social Democratic Party and Young Progressives Party.
The omission of the PDP candidate has been linked to the enforcement of Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026, which the Supreme Court affirmed as constitutional on September 28, 2026. Under Section 77(5), only members whose names appear on a political party’s membership register submitted to INEC within the prescribed period can participate in the party’s primaries, congresses or conventions. Section 77(6) requires parties to use the membership register submitted to INEC for their primaries, while Section 77(7) provides that a party that fails to submit its register within the stipulated period is not eligible to field candidates. Questions had previously been raised about whether Adebutu’s name appeared on the PDP membership register submitted to the commission, allegations the party has consistently rejected.
The PDP responded swiftly, with the state chapter’s Publicity Secretary, Arc. Kayode Adebayo, issuing a statement accusing the ruling APC of mounting undue pressure on INEC because it feared losing the governorship election. “The public should be informed that the omission of our candidate’s name in the INEC list is as a result of the undue pressure mounted by the ruling party on INEC out of fear of losing the election to our party,” the statement alleged. The PDP insisted that Adebutu had never left the party and had complied with the digital membership registration process, with his membership card printed, verified and submitted to INEC at the stipulated time. The party urged its supporters to remain calm and expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved before the election. In a separate statement on X, Adebutu said, “I remain a duly registered member of the Peoples Democratic Party. I completed my digital registration within the stipulated period, and my membership card was printed and verified. My documentation was duly submitted to INEC within the prescribed time. I have not at any point left the PDP, and my commitment to our great party remains unwavering.” He also alleged, without providing evidence, that the APC had mounted pressure on INEC.
The APC dismissed the allegations as a baseless attempt to shift blame. In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Ogun State APC Campaign Council’s Media and Publicity Committee, Chief Kayode Odunaro, the ruling party said the PDP should face its failure to follow simple administrative procedures and adhere to the rules of the game. “How can anyone now attribute the failure of PDP to follow through on simple administrative procedures and adherence to rules of the game as pressure from APC on INEC leading to the non-listing of their candidate as a contestant?” Odunaro asked. He said other candidates from other states had suffered the same fate for similar non-adherence to the law, describing the PDP as “nationally comatose” and urging it to stop the blame game. He said the APC and its governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, were ready to contest with any candidate certified by INEC. “We all know what happens to a team fielding an ineligible player in a game of even football. More like scoring an own goal to lose the match whatever other score on the scoreboard,” he said.
At the national level, the PDP said it had begun engaging INEC to resolve the omission of some of its candidates, not only in Ogun but also in Gombe State, where the party’s governorship candidate, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, was also excluded from the final list. In a statement on Sunday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, said the party was treating the development with the seriousness it deserved and seeking an amicable resolution in line with the law and established electoral guidelines. “The party wishes to assure all affected candidates, members and supporters that it is already engaging with INEC to address the issues responsible for the omissions, with a view to securing an amicable resolution in accordance with the law and established electoral guidelines,” he said. The party urged its members to remain calm and refrain from actions capable of undermining the ongoing engagements with the commission.
The political context of the dispute is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the governorship and state assembly elections scheduled for February 6. Ogun State, as a key South-West battleground, will be closely watched. The PDP’s exclusion from the governorship race, if it stands, would significantly alter the electoral dynamics in the state, potentially handing an advantage to the APC and other parties. The APC has also been embroiled in its own internal disputes, including a legal challenge over Adeola’s state of origin, which has raised questions about his eligibility. The PDP chairman in Ogun, Dr Abayomi Tella, described the omission as a temporary setback and expressed confidence that INEC would address it, but the statutory procedure for correcting omissions is time-bound. Under Section 32(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, a party must notify the commission in writing, signed by its national chairman and national secretary, and accompanied by an affidavit within fourteen days of the publication of the list.
For the people of Ogun State, the dispute represents another chapter in the state’s turbulent political history, where defections, legal battles and allegations of manipulation have become recurring features of electoral contests. For Adebutu, the exclusion is a significant blow to his third attempt at the governorship, and he will now have to rely on the PDP’s engagement with INEC to restore his candidacy. For the APC, the omission of its main challenger removes an obstacle to its retention of the state, although the party has publicly refused to celebrate the development. As the 2027 elections approach, the coming days will determine whether the PDP’s engagement with INEC yields a resolution or whether the Ogun governorship race proceeds without one of its most prominent contenders.
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