₦airaland Forum

The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, affirmed Dr. Wole Oluyede, as the duly nominated governorship candidate of the PDP for the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.

In a unanimous judgment, the three-member appellate panel set aside the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, which had nullified the party’s primary election.

The panel, led by Justice Peter Chudi Obiorah and comprising Justices Jane Esienanwan Inyang and Peter O. Affen, held that the PDP primary election that produced Oluyede was valid and conducted in compliance with the party’s constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act.

The court specifically affirmed that the primary election organised by the National Working Committee (NWC), led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki was lawful, transparent and properly conducted.

The court dismissed Ayeni’s claim on the grounds that the primary election that produced Oluyede as a candidate complied with all the Electoral Acts and was in compliance with the party’s constitution.

It held that in line with INEC guidelines and timetables, what the petitioner asked for had been overtaken by events because there is no longer a window for the conduct of the primary election.

The court also ruled that Ayeni, the litigant, did not exhaust the internal conflict-resolution mechanism of his own party before rushing to court.

REACTING, the PDP welcomed the judgment and commended the courage of the judiciary despite alleged pressures to do otherwise.

The Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti had on January 13, 2026, nullified the Ekiti PDP governorship primary held on November 8 and 9, 2025.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, the PDP filed an appeal, asking the appellate court to overturn the decision of the lower court.

In its ruling, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, declaring that the primary election that produced Oluyede was duly conducted.

The ruling effectively settled the leadership and candidacy dispute that had trailed the party’s preparations for the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.

With the judgment, the PDP was expected to proceed into the election with Oluyede as its candidate.

Pastoshizzy:
Same wine different bottles. How far these 2 mega parties have improved the lives of the common man (in Ekiti) is what I don't understand.
Abegi. Make una solve una problems without us knowing or seeing una mud fights.
Ekiti people can never be hungry (they are resilient farmers), na Lagos people dey line up for rice.
The day of reckoning is coming. If you know you know.

fergie001:
Our Courts are in a rage.

The Appeal Court in Abuja erred in all but that will be topic for another day.
Akpakomiza2

zoedew, seunmsg..... I think this effectively closes this topic

GOLDSON888:
Nigerian Judiciary ehn... Wike Will appeal and give another judge money to declare this viod.

GOLDSON888:
Nigerian Judiciary ehn... Wike Will appeal and give another judge money to declare this viod.

GOLDSON888:
Nigerian Judiciary ehn... Wike Will appeal and give another judge money to declare this viod.

EponObi:
So this is the nonsense PDP candidates will face in all states?

Candidates from Wike and Makinde camps will have a field day in court. Lol.

So, are you still blaming the governors for dumping the party? Everything is based on emotion for them. Which governor in their right sense will gamble their reelection with court cases?

seunmsg:
It changes nothing as far as the status quo is concerned. The Turaki led NWC is dead and buried except there is a miraculous resurrection at the Supreme Court. Looking at the facts of the matter, it will be a miracle plus very bad precedent for the Supreme court to ignore all the irregularities leading to the Ibadan convention and still go ahead to validate it. Again, the matter before this court is not the validity of the Turaki led NWC but the legality of the Ekiti Congress. The judgement does not confer any legitimacy on Turaki and his disbanded group.

Wickedfact:
Which people no dey hungry?
Ekiti people wey Fayose dey throw rice for like fowl

fergie001:
This judgement doesn't invalidate what the Appeal Court said in Abuja, but it is the doublespeak from the Appeal Court. Again, nobody is going to the Supreme Court because our Courts are heavily compromised

Again, like always you are wrong.
But this disbanded group submitted the name of Oluyede.
Can you build on a faulty foundation?
How can one court invalidate a Convention and another uphold the very platform that endorsed same to INEC.

Again I called your attention because you backed INEC's exclusion of Oluyede citing the illegal National Convention (in your own words)... Today whilst one court has said the process leading to the National Convention was on broken legs, another has validated the output from that process, contrary to your earlier disposition.

For emphasis: Turaki and Arapaja signed for Oluyede. They are both products of the "illegal National Convention". INEC can still appeal the earlier judgement by Justice Umar if they so wish!

fergie001:
Our Courts are in a rage.

The Appeal Court in Abuja erred in all but that will be topic for another day.
Akpakomiza2

zoedew, seunmsg..... I think this effectively closes this topic

EponObi:
So this is the nonsense PDP candidates will face in all states?

Candidates from Wike and Makinde camps will have a field day in court. Lol.

So, are you still blaming the governors for dumping the party? Everything is based on emotion for them. Which governor in their right sense will gamble their reelection with court cases?

Pastoshizzy:
My initial piont remain valid. I'm not speaking about hunger in the land but on the cruelty your politicians have metted out on the country as a whole. Please it's derogatory to compare people of Ekiti with fowls. You don't cut your nose to spite your face. You can only be a Nigerian and nothing else (except you believe that ideological utopia). I've seen quite much and met the best of companionship in the least expected places. I can never be biased.

seunmsg:
My positions and arguments haven't changed. The convention was an illegal convention and that has been settled by the Appeal Court. The fact that you are not even supporting the Turaki faction to appeal the Abuja judgement up to the Supreme Court says it all. I also noticed you are no longer calling on the Wabara led BOT to take over PDP leadership. Even Wabara wouldn't have listened to that your legal opinion though. I am glad you all have conceded defeat to Wike. Next step should be to publicly recognize him as the national leader of PDP. You must raise your two hands up while standing behind him and shouting "my leader"

As for my position on Oluyede, I was very clear that INEC did the right thing by excluding him as at that time due to the confusion. I was also very clear that the matter should be litigated up to the Supreme Court by Oluyede and even INEC. You argued against litigating the matter if I can recollect. I am glad he won at the appeal court and considering the latest judgement invalidating the Turaki led NWC, i will still urge INEC or Ayeni to appeal the matter to the Supreme for a final decision. If the Turaki faction fail to appeal the subsisting Abuja judgement, then the Akure appeal judgement cannot stand since those that sponsored Oluyede lacks the capacity to do so. Nobody should be afraid of going to court under any excuse.

Wickedfact:
You can say some people line up for food but you're crying that I reciprocated your distasteful comment.

Was Fayose not personally throwing rice and native fowl for Ekiti people?
Answer us.

etokhana:
https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/03/13/appeal-court-affirms-oluyede-as-pdp-candidate-for-ekiti-guber-poll/

gare:
.....

EponObi:
So this is the nonsense PDP candidates will face in all states?

Candidates from Wike and Makinde camps will have a field day in court. Lol.

So, are you still blaming the governors for dumping the party? Everything is based on emotion for them. Which governor in their right sense will gamble their reelection with court cases?