Adebutu says INEC list omission won't stop 2027 bid as Ogun PDP goes to court
- Ogun PDP has gone to court after INEC left Ladi Adebutu off its final governorship candidate list.
- Adebutu told supporters in Abeokuta the omission is a distraction that will be resolved.
- He also received over 1,000 APC defectors led by former lawmaker Segun William.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has taken its fight over Ladi Adebutu's absence from the final governorship candidate list to court, as the candidate himself insists the setback will not end his 2027 ambition.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) left Adebutu's name off the list released last Thursday. His petition was among 64 rejected by the commission, the same batch that affected the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate in Kano, Aminu Gwarzo. In Gombe, however, INEC cleared former Communications and Digital Economy Minister Isa Ali Pantami, who is the PDP's governorship candidate there.
Ogun PDP publicity secretary Kayode Adebayo, an architect, said the party is already in court and expects proceedings to begin this week. He said he did not have the exact date and did not want to mislead the public.
"If democracy is at play, we believe the court is the last hope of the people," Adebayo said, urging party members to stay calm and confident that Adebutu will be on the ballot.
Defectors join PDP in Abeokuta
Adebutu spoke on Monday at the PDP's state secretariat in Abeokuta, where he received more than 1,000 people who said they were leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC). The group was led by Segun William, a former member of the House of Representatives. PDP leaders at the event included Iyabo Obasanjo, the party's Ogun Central senatorial candidate.
Adebutu said the questions around his name on the INEC list are meant to pull the opposition off course and keep voters from having their say. He rejected any suggestion that he had left the PDP, saying he has carried the party's flag in every election cycle for two decades.
"Where is the proof that, for one day, I have even visited the APC office, let alone joined the party?"
He said he helped organise and fund the party's recent membership registration in the state, which he said signed up more than 19,800 people, and that his own registration number was 1536.
On mobilisation, Adebutu said his team has covered 12 of Ogun's 20 local government areas and more than 140 of its 236 wards, and will keep going.
William said he joined partisan politics in 2007 and chose the APC then, despite advice from friends to go with the PDP. He said his time in the ruling party convinced him it no longer stands for the democratic ideals and development he believes in, and that the defectors want to work for Ogun's progress through the PDP.
What happens next
The case is expected to be heard this week, though the party has not given a date. Until the court rules, Adebutu's place on the 2027 ballot remains uncertain. For Ogun voters, the outcome will decide whose name they see on the governorship line when campaigning picks up across the state.
