The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to restore the name of Ladi Adebutu to its list of candidates for the 2027 Ogun State governorship election.

The court, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, ordered the electoral commission to comply with the directive within 24 hours, ruling that it had no legal authority to independently disqualify a candidate validly nominated by a political party.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Lifu held that INEC violated Adebutu’s right to fair hearing by removing his name from the candidates’ list without giving him an opportunity to defend himself.

The judge consequently declared the commission’s action unlawful, unconstitutional and without legal effect.

He maintained that once a political party had submitted the name of its nominated candidate, INEC could not unilaterally disqualify such a candidate. According to him, the authority to determine a candidate’s disqualification rests with the Federal High Court or a State High Court.

Justice Lifu added that if the commission had concerns about Adebutu’s eligibility, it ought to have approached a court of competent jurisdiction rather than removing his name on its own.

The court also faulted INEC’s decision to exclude the former governorship candidate despite his participation in the PDP governorship primary conducted on May 24, 2026, which it upheld as valid.

On the commission’s claim that Adebutu’s name was absent from the PDP membership register, the judge dismissed the evidence presented by its witness, Mustapha Mohammed.

The witness had admitted during cross-examination that he was not the official who received the flash drive containing the party’s membership register, a development that weakened the commission’s evidence.

Consequently, the court ordered INEC to amend the candidates’ list it published on October 10, 2026, and include Adebutu as the PDP’s governorship candidate for Ogun State in the 2027 election.