PDP, SDP Candidates Missing As INEC Releases Final List For Ekiti Governorship Poll

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the final list of candidates for the June 20, 2026, Ekiti State governorship election, with notable omissions of candidates from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The list, published by the electoral umpire, features Opeyemi Falegan of the Accord Party; Akande Oluwasegun of the African Action Congress; Ayodeji Ojo of the Action Democratic Party; Oluwadare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress; Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress; and Bidemi Awogbemi of the Action People’s Party.

However, Wole Oluyede, the PDP candidate, and David Bankole of the SDP were excluded from the final list.

Court nullifies PDP primary

INEC had earlier omitted Oluyede’s name when it displayed the provisional list of candidates at its Ado-Ekiti office in December 2025.

The omission followed a judgment delivered on January 13 by a Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, which nullified the governorship primary election that produced Oluyede.

The court ordered the PDP to conduct a fresh primary election in line with the law and the party’s internal guidelines.

Oluyede, a medical practitioner, emerged as PDP candidate in November 2025, having polled 279 votes to defeat his closest rival, Funso Ayeni, who scored 239 votes in the primary conducted by the party’s National Working Committee.

PDP crisis deepens

The development comes amid a deepening leadership crisis within the PDP, which has split the party into rival factions.

One faction is backed by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, while the other is aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Last month, INEC rejected a request to recognise the PDP National Working Committee chaired by Kabiru Turaki, which is supported by Makinde and Mohammed.

The commission cited conflicting court judgments and said it would not update its records to reflect any change in the PDP’s national leadership pending the resolution of cases challenging the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, in November.

Ekiti poll draws closer

With the exclusion of the PDP and SDP candidates, the Ekiti governorship race now features six political parties, as the state prepares for the off-cycle election scheduled for June 20, 2026.

INEC has maintained that it will strictly adhere to court rulings and existing legal frameworks in managing the electoral process.