The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ekiti State has protested at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Ado-Ekiti over the exclusion of two of its senatorial candidates from the commission’s final list for the 2027 general elections.
The protesters, comprising NDC members, supporters and the Obedient Movement, demanded the immediate restoration of Prince Adeyinka Ali and Dr Ayokunle Olusegun as the party’s candidates for Ekiti North and Ekiti South Senatorial Districts respectively.
They claimed the two candidates emerged from the party’s primary election held on May 29, 2026, and were earlier recognised by INEC.
The protesters described their removal from the final list as unacceptable, alleging that the development could undermine the democratic process.
Speaking on behalf of Olusegun, Adediji Segun said the protest was aimed at demanding the restoration of the two candidates.
“We want INEC to integrate their names back to the lists. They are the financiers of the party and one person cannot just wake up one day and be deciding for us. We don’t want that,” he said.
The leader of the Obedient Movement in Ekiti, Emmanuel Olamidotun, called for the removal of David Adesua from the NDC, accusing him of undermining the party.
Olamidotun urged the party leadership to respect the outcome of its primary election and protect the interests of its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
The NDC Publicity Secretary in Ekiti, Olawale Olatunde, warned that failure to restore the candidates could affect the party’s electoral prospects.
“If those names are not returned, Obi should prepare for failure come 2027 general,” he said.
The protesters called on INEC to review the circumstances surrounding the exclusion and ensure that the names of the candidates who emerged from the primary are reflected in the final list.
However, no INEC official reportedly received the protesters, and the commission had not issued an official statement addressing the matter as of the time of filing this report.
