-
What Went Wrong? What Are His Options?
This is the talking point in Ogun State right now. The situation surrounding former Ogun State governorship candidate, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, raises important legal and political questions. The central issue is whether INEC’s position is based on a court decision, a problem with his party’s nomination, or a separate legal restriction affecting his eligibility.
It is important to distinguish between being barred by a court, being omitted from a list of candidates by INEC, and being unable to secure a valid party nomination. They are not the same thing.
The immediate problem is not a conviction or a personal disqualification arising from a criminal offence. It concerns the PDP’s compliance with the new Electoral Act, 2026, particularly the submission of its membership register to INEC.
On October 10, 2026, INEC published its final list of governorship candidates for the February 6, 2027 Ogun governorship election. Adebutu and his running mate were missing. The PDP was also without a governorship candidate on the published Ogun list.
INEC subsequently explained that the exclusion arose from the Supreme Court’s September 24, 2026 judgment in the case of INEC v. Zenith Labour Party, which upheld the mandatory requirements in Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
What did Adebutu do wrong? The allegation is that his name was missing from the PDP membership register submitted to INEC within the statutory period of April 21 to May 10, 2026.
This is the central issue.
Under the new electoral provisions, political parties are required to submit their membership registers to INEC before conducting their primaries. The Supreme Court upheld the mandatory nature of this requirement.
Consequently, INEC’s position is that a political party that fails to comply cannot validly sponsor candidates for the affected election.
There is, however, an important distinction:
– There is no established finding in these reports that Adebutu personally committed an electoral offence by being absent from the register.
– The issue is whether the PDP complied with the statutory membership-register requirements.
– The Ogun PDP disputes the allegations and insists that Adebutu is a properly registered member of the party.
Therefore, the controversy is principally about party compliance and the documentary evidence supporting his membership, rather than proof that he personally committed a crime.
Why has INEC refused to change its position? The commission initially omitted Adebutu from its final list and subsequently considered his petition for a review.
On October 29, INEC rejected his petition. This was confirmed by its National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna.
Speaking on October 30, Haruna said Adebutu’s petition had not succeeded, although the commission approved the petitions of some other omitted candidates, including Isa Ali Pantami of Gombe.
This is an important development because Adebutu’s case has now moved beyond the initial omission: his attempt to persuade INEC to reverse that decision administratively has failed.
What are Ladi Adebutu’s options right now? Adebutu and the Ogun PDP still have possible legal and political routes to explore. However, none is automatic.
Option 1: Challenge INEC’s decision in court
This is now the most important option to examine.
Adebutu and the PDP can ask the appropriate court to review INEC’s decision, particularly if they believe the commission wrongly interpreted or applied the membership-register provisions.
Their lawyers would need to establish:
– That Adebutu was a properly registered PDP member.
– That his name appeared in the membership register submitted to INEC within the prescribed period.
– That the PDP complied with the statutory requirements.
– That INEC relied on incomplete, inaccurate or wrongly interpreted records.
The PDP had already indicated that legal action remained an option if INEC failed to resolve the dispute.
Option 2: Produce the original membership register
This could be crucial.
If the PDP can produce credible documentary evidence showing that Adebutu’s name was included in the register submitted between April 21 and May 10, it could strengthen its argument that INEC made a mistake.
The critical document is not simply a membership card or a fresh register produced after the deadline. It is the actual register submitted to INEC within the legally prescribed period.
Option 3: Challenge the application of the Supreme Court judgment
The PDP could argue that INEC has wrongly applied the Supreme Court’s September 24 judgment to Adebutu’s particular circumstances.
However, the party cannot simply ask another court to disregard the Supreme Court’s decision upholding the membership-register requirements.
Its argument would have to focus on the facts, the documents and whether INEC correctly applied the law.
Option 4: Explore other political arrangements
A change of political platform might be discussed politically, but it is not an easy escape route.
Adebutu would still have to satisfy the membership, nomination and primary-election requirements of any other party, as well as the applicable electoral timetable.
Simply defecting to another party would not automatically restore his eligibility.
The implications go beyond Adebutu personally.
For the first time in the preparations for the February 6, 2027 Ogun governorship election, the PDP faces the possibility of entering the contest without its intended governorship candidate.
Adebutu has been one of the major opposition figures in Ogun politics and has previously contested the governorship election.
His exclusion raises several questions:
- Can the Ogun PDP survive the crisis without its preferred candidate?
- Will party leaders remain united behind Adebutu?
- Could the development create fresh disagreements within the opposition?
- Will other political parties benefit from the PDP’s absence from the candidate list?
- Could the dispute change the political calculations involving Governor Dapo Abiodun’s succession and the APC’s preparations?
There is also a bigger question about the responsibility of political party leaders. Why was such an important membership-register issue not resolved before the submission deadline?
According to political analysts the immediate priority for Adebutu should be to establish exactly what the PDP submitted to INEC in April and May 2026.
His legal team should obtain the certified records, examine the commission’s reasons for rejecting his petition and determine the appropriate court process and applicable filing deadlines.
The October 24 deadline for notifying INEC of an omission has passed. Therefore, the lawyers must carefully establish whether any further judicial remedy remains available and whether it can produce an effective order before the election.
The Supreme Court’s decision makes this a particularly difficult legal battle, but the precise question of whether Adebutu’s name was actually contained in the submitted register remains important.
Is this the end of Adebutu’s 2027 ambition? Not necessarily, but the situation has become more complicated.
INEC’s rejection of his petition is a serious setback. Nevertheless, the commission’s administrative decision and a final judicial determination of a properly brought challenge are different things.
The coming legal proceedings, if instituted, could determine whether the PDP has a valid basis to demand his reinstatement.
For now, the central issue remains: Was Ladi Adebutu’s name in the PDP membership register submitted to INEC before the May 10 deadline?
That is the question that could determine the direction of this controversy.
