The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure on Thursday affirmed Dr Wole Oluyede as the duly nominated governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
In a unanimous judgment, the three-member appellate panel overturned the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti which had invalidated the party’s primary election that produced Oluyede.
The panel, led by Justice Peter Chudi Obiorah and comprising Justices Jane Esienanwan Inyang and Peter O. Affen, held that the primary election conducted by the party complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the PDP constitution.
The court further ruled that the primary organised by the party’s National Working Committee, led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, was lawful, transparent and properly conducted.
The Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti had on January 13, 2026 nullified the Ekiti PDP governorship primary held between November 8 and 9, 2025.
Dissatisfied with the decision, the PDP approached the appellate court, urging it to overturn the lower court’s judgment.
Delivering its verdict on Thursday, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and set aside the earlier ruling, declaring that the primary election that produced Oluyede was valid.
The judgment effectively resolves the dispute over the party’s governorship ticket ahead of the 2026 Ekiti election, clearing the way for the PDP to proceed with Oluyede as its candidate.