Ogun 2027: Adebutu responds to exclusion from INEC’s final list

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Ogun State governorship hopeful Ladi Adebutu has insisted that he remains a duly registered member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the exclusion of his name from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of governorship candidates for the 2027 election.

Mr Adebutu, in a statement addressed to the people of Ogun State on X, blamed, without proof, his exlusion on alleged pressure from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on INEC. He also expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved before the election scheduled for 6 February 2027.

Faulting his exclusion linked to INEC’s enforcement of statutory party membership requirements, Mr Adebutu said he completed his digital membership registration within the stipulated period was verified before his documentation was submitted to INEC.

“I remain a duly registered member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I completed my digital registration within the stipulated period, and my membership card was printed and verified,” he said.

“My documentation was duly submitted to INEC within the prescribed time. I have not at any point left the PDP, and my commitment to our great party remains unwavering.”

The statement follows INEC’s publication of its final list of candidates for the 6 February 2027 governorship election, which excluded Mr Adebutu and his running mate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the list, signed by INEC Secretary Rose Oriaran-Anthony, contains 13 Ogun State governorship candidates from different political parties, excluding the PDP.

The commission, however, has not stated its reasons for the exclusion of the PDP’s candidates from the list.

But the electoral commission’s decision has been linked to its vow to enforce the statutory requirement on membership registers, following a recent Supreme Court judgement that affirmed the constitutionality of Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act 2026.

The court also upheld INEC’s revised timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general elections.

Under Section 77(5), only members whose names appear on a political party’s membership register submitted to INEC within the prescribed period can participate in the party’s primaries, congresses or conventions.

Section 77(6) requires parties to use the membership register submitted to INEC for their primaries, while Section 77(7) provides that a party that fails to submit its register within the stipulated period is not eligible to field candidates.

Mr Adebutu alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had mounted “undue pressure” on INEC, questioning the circumstances surrounding the omission of his name.

“The circumstances surrounding this omission raise serious questions, particularly when all the other party’s candidates across the House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senatorial positions have appeared on the published lists,” he said.

“Our party has faced attempts to frustrate our campaign, including restrictions on our billboards, attacks at campaign grounds and harassment of our members.”

Mr Adebutu also defended the process through which he emerged as the PDP’s governorship candidate, saying INEC officials attended the party’s primary as observers.

He said the relevant documents were presented for verification, certification and confirmation. “These are important facts that must not be overlooked in the present circumstances,” he said.

His defence comes amid questions over his eligibility following allegations that his name was missing from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC.

Two groups, the Ogun Democratic Accountability Forum and Elections Integrity Watch, had raised concerns about Mr Adebutu’s membership status.

The politician urged his supporters to remain calm, expressing confidence that the issue would be resolved.

“The party has spoken, and the necessary steps are being taken to address this matter. I remain confident that it will be resolved,” he said.

Mr Adebutu, 64, has been a member of the PDP since the beginning of the Fourth Republic in 1999, running unsuccessfully for legislative elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011, as well as governorship election in 2023. This is part of why his exclusion from next year’s governorship election came as a surprise to many.

This is part of why his exclusion from next year’s governorship election came as a surprise to many.

Mr Adebutu, who began his political career in the Third Republic when he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 at age 30 under the Social Democratic Party (SDP), served as a commissioner in the Ogun State Local Government Service Commission starting in 2007.

He returned to the National Assembly in 2015 as a member of the 8th Assembly, chairing the House Committee on Rural Development and focusing on grassroots infrastructure projects.

This was his second time of clinching the PDP’s governorship ticket for Ogun State, until INEC’s decision excluding him from next year’s election. Mr Adebutu later won the PDP’s governorship ticket for Ogun State in the 2023 elections. He lost the election to incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun, which solidified his position as a major opposition leader.

His political activities have extended toward subsequent electoral cycles, where he has navigated intra-party disputes and legal challenges regarding candidate lists alongside the Ogun PDP leadership

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