By Abiola Olawale
The political landscape in Ekiti State has been thrown into a whirlwind of uncertainty following a ruling by the Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday.
This is as the court officially nullified the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, which had previously produced Dr. Wole Oluyede as the party’s flagbearer.
In a judgment delivered on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, the court ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh primary election to ensure a transparent and democratic selection process ahead of the June governorship poll.
The court gave the order while delivering judgment in a suit filed by a governorship aspirant of the party, Mr Funsho Ayeni, against the PDP and the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).
Ayeni had approached the court to challenge the validity of the PDP governorship primary election, alleging that the party, failed to present the original and authentic list of statutory and ad hoc delegates used for the exercise.
The plaintiff argued that the absence of the original delegates’ list constituted a fundamental breach of the PDP guidelines and the Electoral Act, thereby rendering the primary election invalid.
Delivering judgment, the presiding judge, Justice Babs Kuewumi, held that the conduct of the primary election did not comply with the provisions of the law and the party’s constitution.
Justice Kuewumi consequently nullified the primary election and ordered the PDP, in conjunction with INEC, to conduct a fresh governorship primary election, in strict compliance with the law and relevant guidelines.
The judge further directed that all eligible aspirants be allowed to participate in the fresh primary election, to ensure transparency, fairness, and internal democracy within the party.
