The Court of Appeal of Nigeria 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 election, overturning an earlier ruling that nullified the party’s primary.
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Thursday, the three-member appellate panel led by Peter Chudi Obiorah, with Jane Esienanwan Inyang and Peter O. Affen as members, set aside the decision of the Federal High Court of Nigeria in Ado-Ekiti which had earlier invalidated the PDP governorship primary election in the state.
The appellate court held that the primary election organised by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, complied with the PDP constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. The panel also described the process as valid and transparent.
According to the ruling, the primary election conducted on November 8 and 9, 2025, which produced Oluyede as the party’s candidate, was properly carried out.
The decision overturns the January 13, 2026 judgment of the Federal High Court in Ado-Ekiti that nullified the exercise.
Following that ruling, the PDP challenged the decision at the appellate court. In Thursday’s judgment, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and reinstated the result of the primary election that produced Oluyede.
The ruling effectively resolves months of legal battles over the PDP’s governorship ticket ahead of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
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