A Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Oladipupo Adebutu as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the 2027 Ogun State governorship election. Justice Peter Lifu delivered the ruling on Friday, November 13, 2026, ordering INEC to publish Adebutu's name as the party's duly nominated governorship candidate within 24 hours of the judgment.

At the centre of the case was whether INEC had the authority to remove a candidate from its records without a court order. Justice Lifu held that it did not, declaring that only a court of law can invalidate a candidate's nomination, not the electoral commission acting on its own. The judge ruled that INEC's decision to remove Adebutu's name was unconstitutional, unlawful and of no legal effect, and found that the commission had violated Adebutu's right to a fair hearing before taking the step that shut him out of the process.S1

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2573/2026, was filed by both the PDP and Adebutu against INEC. The directive requires the commission to restore Adebutu's name to its official candidate list, returning him to contention for the party's governorship ticket in Ogun State ahead of the 2027 general elections. Justice Lifu stressed that a party's validly conducted nomination process cannot be overridden by INEC acting unilaterally, and warned that the commission must publish the name as instructed or face potential contempt proceedings.S1S2