The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has reportedly upheld the nomination of Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Osun State governorship election.
The development was announced by the PDP’s Interim National Working Committee in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, on Wednesday.
According to the party, the appellate court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately include the PDP logo on the ballot papers for the election scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026.
The party said the court held that the PDP had conducted its governorship primary, which was monitored by INEC, and subsequently forwarded the name of the winner to the electoral commission.
It said the court further ruled that the access code required for the electronic nomination process was merely an administrative procedure and could not override the statutory requirement for political parties to submit the names of their candidates to INEC.
The PDP described the ruling as a confirmation that its candidate was legally entitled to participate in the election.
However, the party accused INEC of bias and alleged that the commission had refused to recognise its candidate after the primary election and withheld the necessary access codes for uploading candidates.
The party said although the court’s decision had provided legal relief, the timing had placed its candidate at a disadvantage because there was no sufficient opportunity to campaign ahead of Saturday’s election.
Despite the ruling, the PDP said its Interim National Working Committee had decided not to participate in the election under its own platform.
The party announced its decision to support the governorship bid of incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is contesting the election on the platform of the Accord Party.
According to the PDP, Adeleke was formerly a member of the party before leaving amid what it described as a state-sponsored leadership crisis.
The party urged its members and supporters in Osun State to vote for Adeleke on Saturday, defend their votes and ensure that their votes count.
The PDP also called on Nigerians to resist what it described as the “do or die” approach to elections allegedly adopted by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that electoral outcomes must reflect the wishes of voters.
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