The Court of Appeal in Akure has upheld the primary election that selected Dr Wole Oluyede as the PDP’s candidate for the Ekiti State governorship race on June 20, 2026, confirming the party’s eligibility to contest.

On Thursday, a three-member panel of the appellate court, consisting of Justice Peter Obiorah, Justice Jane Inyang, and Justice Peter Affen, delivered a unanimous ruling that overturned the judgement previously issued by the Ado-Ekiti Federal High Court.

Some members and aspirants disputed the primary election that resulted in Dr Oluyede becoming the party’s candidate. Although Dr Oluyede secured 79 votes against Funso Ayeni’s 239, they argued the primary was not held according to established rules.

The aggrieved party, particularly Dr Funso Ayeni, had approached the Federal High Court, sitting in Ado-Ekiti, which gave a judgment on January 13, 2026, nullifying the primary election of the party conducted in November 2025, which produced Oluyede, after one of the aspirants, Dr Funso Ayeni, raised complaints over alleged irregularities in the exercise.

Not satisfied with the High Court’s judgement, the PDP and Dr Oluyede appealed to the Court of Appeal to seek redress, urging the appellate court to set aside the lower court’s judgement.

Delivering the judgement on the two appeals filed by the candidate and the PDP, the head of the panel, Justice Peter Obiorah, held that the November 8, 2025 primary election was valid, transparent and conducted in compliance with the party’s constitution as well as the provisions of the Electoral Act, stating that the complainants failed to substantiate allegations of non-accreditation of delegates and manipulation of the delegates’ list used for the primary election.

The ruling also criticised the court order that forced the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remove PDP and Dr Oluyede from the final list of candidates due to the party’s ongoing leadership crisis.

Recall that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has recently validated the candidacy of the PDP flagbearer in the poll and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include both the PDP and its candidate in the list from which it had excluded them earlier.

Reacting to the judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, expressed his satisfaction. It encouraged the party supporters to support the candidate.

The statement fully reads, “Today, the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, overturned the decision of the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti, delivered by Hon. Justice Babs Kuewumi on 13th January 2026, which nullified the congress that produced Dr Olumayokun Oluwole Oluyede as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ekiti.

“The appeal, which the @OfficialPDPNig lodged under the leadership of Kabiru Turaki, SAN, contended that the trial court erred in law when it held that the primaries that produced Dr Oluyede were not in substantial compliance with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic, the Electoral Act, and the PDP Constitution.

“The three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Peter Obiorah, Hon. Justice Jane Inyang, and Hon. Justice Peter Affen, upheld the appeal and held that the primaries were conducted in substantial compliance with all extant laws relating to PDP primaries, and that the product therefrom was regular and must be granted recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“By this judgment, the candidature of Dr. Olumayokun Oluwole Oluyede, who was given a certificate of return by the Turaki-led PDP, has been validated. We encourage all our supporters in Ekiti to double their campaign efforts to ensure that the PDP wins the governorship election and gives to the people of the state the qualitative leadership that our candidate and party offer.”

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