INEC releases Ekiti governorship candidates list, PDP’s Oluyede excluded

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the list of candidates for the Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for June 20, 2026, excluding the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wole Oluyede.

The list was pasted on Monday at the INEC office in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, and contains the names of governorship candidates and their running mates from 12 political parties cleared to participate in the election.

According to the list, candidates include Opeyemi Falegan of the Accord Party; Akande Oluwasegun of the African Action Congress (AAC); Ayodeji Ojo of the Action Democratic Party (ADP); Oluwadare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC); and Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Others are Bidemi Awogbemi of the Action People’s Party (APP); Joseph Anifowose of the Allied People’s Movement (APM); Oyebanji Olajuyin of the Labour Party (LP); Blessing Abegunde of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP); Olaniyi Ayodele of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP); Owoola Daramola of the Young Progressive Party (YPP); and Victor Adetunji of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

Noticeably absent from the list was Oluyede, the PDP’s governorship candidate, despite emerging winner of the party’s primary election conducted in November 2025.

Oluyede, a medical practitioner, was elected at the PDP primary organised by the party’s national working committee (NWC) backed by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. He polled 279 votes to defeat his closest rival, Funso Ayeni, who scored 239 votes.

The exclusion of the PDP candidate is coming against the backdrop of a prolonged leadership crisis within the opposition party, which has split it into rival factions.

One faction is aligned with Governors Makinde of Oyo State and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, while the other is loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

INEC had last week declined to recognise the PDP national working committee chaired by Kabiru Turaki, which is supported by the Makinde-Mohammed bloc.

The electoral body cited several court judgements in its decision, stating that it would not update its records to reflect any changes in the PDP’s national leadership until all legal disputes surrounding the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November are resolved.

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