The Court of Appeal in Akure, Ondo State, on Thursday affirmed the validity of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election in Ekiti State, which produced Wole Oluyede as the party’s governorship candidate in the 20 June election.
In a unanimous decision, the three-member panel of justices comprising Peter Obiorah, Jane Inyang, and Peter Affen set aside the earlier judgement of the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti, which nullified the primary election.
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They, therefore, dismissed the appeal instituted by one of the aspirants, Funso Ayeni.
Two aspirants in the primary election, Mr Ayeni and Fumilayo Ogun, had challenged the outcome of the exercise at the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti. However, Mrs Ogun withdrew her own case, leaving Mr Ayeni.
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On 13 January, the lower court nullified the election held on 8 and 9 November 2025. It ordered a fresh exercise to allow all aspirants to participate, and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to monitor the primary.
Court of Appeal judgement
Dissatisfied with the judgement, the PDP appealed to the Court of Appeal, seeking to validate the primary election.
In its judgement on Thursday, the appellate court held that the primary election conducted by the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) was valid, transparent, and in compliance with the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
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It said the election that produced Mr Oluyede as the PDP candidate complied with both documents.
It held that, in line with INEC guidelines and timetables, the petitioner’s request has been overtaken by events because there’s no longer a window for the conduct of the primary election.
The court also ruled that the litigant, Mr Ayeni, did not exhaust the internal conflict-resolution mechanism of his party before rushing to court.
PDP reacts
In its reaction, the PDP welcomed the judgement and commended the judiciary’s courage despite alleged pressure to do otherwise.
The South-west West Publicity Secretary and Director of Media and Publicity for the PDP 2026 Governorship Campaign Council, Sanya Atofarati, described the judgement as a welcome development.
“We commend the courage of the judiciary. Even against internal interference by our political detractors, they remain resolute, they remain firm in dispensing justice because the court is the last hope of the common man. And the judiciary, especially the judges in this appeal, have demonstrated that democracy can only thrive when there is mutual respect, when there is adequate respect for the internal political structure and for internal conflict resolution.
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“Every democratic setting is bound to have issues. But in all of this, we must prioritise the interest, the overall interest of the political party to which we represent and the entire populace who will be the beneficiaries of our actions and inaction.
“The only reason why our detractors, particularly the party in power, which is the All Progressive Congress, have set their mind on the PDP is that they understand that the PDP enjoys the public appeal largely, and they understand rightly that only the PDP has that grassroots structure to unseat this incompetent government that has underperformed for about four years now.”
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