The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court over the exclusion of its governorship candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, from the list of contestants for the June 20, 2026, Ekiti State governorship election.

INEC had on Monday published the list of candidates and their running mates at its state headquarters in Ado-Ekiti, featuring nominees of 12 political parties. The PDP candidate’s name was, however, conspicuously missing.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the party’s spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, accused the electoral umpire of bias and deliberate action, insisting that INEC duly monitored and validated the PDP governorship primary that produced Oluyede.

Ememobong said the commission initially issued nomination portal codes to the party, which were used to access the official nomination forms, but allegedly blocked the codes a few days to the submission deadline.

According to him, the development compelled the party to submit its nomination documents manually at INEC’s office, a submission he said was formally acknowledged by the commission.

“Being fully aware of the grave and far-reaching consequences of excluding a validly nominated candidate from an election, INEC ought to have acted with caution and responsibility by including the name of Dr. Oluwole Oluyede, the duly nominated candidate of the PDP, in the published list,” the statement said.

He stressed that there was no contrary submission before INEC challenging the validity of Oluyede’s nomination, nor was there any court order restraining the commission from recognising him as the party’s candidate.

Ememobong added that INEC’s own monitoring report confirmed the validity of the PDP primary election and nomination process.

The PDP, he said, has already commenced legal action to compel INEC to include Oluyede’s name on the ballot.

“While we embark on this long and tortuous legal route, we urge INEC to live up to the expectations of Nigerians by remaining independent, impartial and neutral in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities,” he said.

He warned that any action capable of undermining democratic processes must be avoided, adding that INEC must always act in defence of democracy.