Court of Appeal sitting in Akure has affirmed Wole Oluyede as the governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the upcoming Ekiti State election, bringing an end to a legal dispute over the party’s primary.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel of justices, the appellate court set aside the earlier ruling of a Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti that had nullified the PDP primary which produced Oluyede as candidate.
The court held that the primary election that produced Oluyede was validly conducted and therefore restored him as the party’s legitimate flag bearer for the 2026 Ekiti governorship election.
Oluyede had emerged from the PDP primary with 279 votes, but the exercise was challenged in court, leading to the earlier judgment that invalidated the process before the appellate court overturned it.
The candidate is believed to enjoy the backing of Kabiru Turaki, a senior PDP figure, whose camp supported Oluyede’s emergence during the party’s internal contest for the governorship ticket.
With the appellate ruling, the PDP can now proceed with preparations for the Ekiti governorship race, which analysts say will be a crucial political contest ahead of Nigeria’s next cycle of elections.
