The Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has affirmed Wole Oluyede as the duly nominated governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, March 12, a three-member panel of the appellate court overturned the earlier decision of the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, which had nullified the party’s governorship primary election.
The panel, led by Justice Peter Chudi Obiorah and comprising Justices Jane Esienanwan Inyang and Peter O. Affen, ruled that the PDP primary election that produced Oluyede was valid and conducted in compliance with the party’s constitution as well as the provisions of the Electoral Act.
According to the court, the primary election organised by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, under the leadership of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, followed due process and met all legal and procedural requirements.
The judges held that there was no sufficient basis to invalidate the exercise, describing the process as lawful, transparent, and properly conducted.
The ruling effectively nullifies the earlier judgment delivered on January 13, 2026, by the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti, which had invalidated the Ekiti PDP governorship primary held between November 8 and 9, 2025.
Following the lower court’s decision, the PDP had filed an appeal, urging the appellate court to overturn the ruling and uphold the outcome of the party’s primary election.
In Thursday’s judgment, the Court of Appeal granted the party’s request, setting aside the Federal High Court’s decision and confirming that the primary election that produced Oluyede as the PDP’s candidate was duly conducted.
The verdict clears a major legal hurdle for the opposition party ahead of the 2026 Ekiti governorship election and formally reinstates Oluyede as the party’s standard-bearer for the poll.
