The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has excluded the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the provisional list of candidates for the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election, raising fresh concerns over the deepening crisis within the opposition party.
The PDP’s governorship candidate, Dr Wole Oluyede, and his running mate were conspicuously missing when INEC on Monday unveiled the list of candidates at its state office on New Iyin Road, Ado-Ekiti.
A copy of the provisional list obtained by PLATFORM TIMES showed that 12 political parties successfully submitted candidates for the governorship race, with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) fielding the incumbent governor, Biodun Oyebanji, alongside his deputy, Monisade Afuye.
Other contenders listed by the electoral body include Opeyemi Falegan of the Accord Party, with Omoyemi Olaleye as running mate; Akande Oluwasegun of the African Action Congress (AAC), paired with Oluwasanmi Fajuyigbe; and Ayodeji Ojo of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), who is running with Itunu Ibitoye.
Also on the list are Oluwadare Bejide and Paul Olowoyeye of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), as well as Bidemi Awogbemi and Akinyemi Adewumi representing the Action Peoples Party (APP).
INEC, however, did not include the PDP, a development political observers say may be linked to the lingering leadership tussle at the party’s national level, which has continued to generate controversy over the legitimacy of its congresses and candidate nomination processes.
Although the commission is yet to officially comment on the omission, the development comes amid a wave of defections, internal disputes and public disagreements among top PDP figures, further weakening the party’s electoral footing ahead of major polls.
The Ekiti governorship election is expected to be keenly contested, but the PDP’s absence from the provisional list casts uncertainty over its participation, unless the party resolves its internal challenges before INEC’s deadline for substitutions and corrections.
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