The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure has affirmed Dr. Wole Oluyede as the duly nominated governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2026 Ekiti State election.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, a three-member panel led by Peter Chudi Obiorah, with Jane Esienanwan Inyang and Peter O. Affen as members, set aside the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti which had nullified the party’s governorship primary.
The appellate court held that the PDP primary election conducted on November 8 and 9, 2025 by the party’s National Working Committee led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki was valid and in compliance with both the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
The Federal High Court had on January 13, 2026 invalidated the primary, a decision that prompted the party to challenge the ruling at the appellate court.
However, in Thursday’s judgment, the Appeal Court allowed the appeal and affirmed that the primary election was properly conducted, thereby restoring Oluyede as the party’s flag bearer.
The ruling effectively resolves the internal dispute that had trailed the party’s preparations for the 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State.
