Trending 
A court has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to restore Ladi Adebutu as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State within 24 hours.
Justice Peter Lifu issued the directive on Friday after confirming that Adebutu’s name appeared in the PDP membership register submitted to the electoral commission.
The ruling requires INEC to recognise Adebutu as the party’s governorship candidate and take the necessary steps to restore his name within the stipulated period.
The court’s decision places the party’s submitted membership records at the centre of the dispute over Adebutu’s candidacy, with the judge relying on the register in reaching his determination.
The 24-hour deadline also places an immediate obligation on the electoral commission to comply with the order, although the information available does not indicate whether INEC has received the ruling or taken steps to implement it.
The judgment represents a significant development in the legal proceedings surrounding the PDP’s governorship candidacy in Ogun State, where questions over party membership and candidate recognition have become matters for judicial determination.
Attention now turns to INEC’s response and whether the commission will implement the directive within the period specified by the court. The ruling also brings the relationship between political party records, candidate nominations and electoral commission recognition into focus as political parties prepare for the 2027 general elections.
Further details of the judgment, including the arguments presented by the parties and any possible appeal, have yet to be established.
The dispute began after INEC excluded Adebutu from its candidate list published on 10 October. The PDP and Adebutu challenged that decision on 22 October, while INEC maintained that his name was absent from the party’s submitted membership register.
