Ekiti 2026: Court orders INEC to recognise PDP candidate’s name The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise and publish Dr Oluwole Oluyede’s name as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the June 2026 Ekiti governorship election. According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Justice Mohammed Umar, in a judgment, also ordered INEC to include the name and logo of PDP in the ballot paper for the poll. Justice Umar held that the application by the plaintiffs, PDP and Oluyede, had merit and was accordingly granted. The judge, who said the plaintiffs had a reasonable cause of action and were entitled to the reliefs sought, agreed with the PDP and Oluyede that the case before the court was not the issue of the validity of the office of the party’s national chairman and national secretary The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that PDP and Oluyede, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/ CS/40/2026, had dragged INEC before the judge as the sole defendant. The plaintiffs, who posed six questions, asked whether, having regard to the provisions of Sections 29(1) & (3) and 84(5)(b)(ii) of the Electoral Act, 2022, it was not illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional for INEC to publish Oluyede’s name, among other candidates for the poll. They prayed the court to determine that INEC, having monitored, witnessed and produced a report of the party’s governorship primary election properly conducted on Nov. 8 and 9, 2025, which produced Oluyede as its governorship candidate for the election, was not in breach of the laws for refusing to publish Oluyede’s name.