The Director of Media for the Ladi Adebutu Campaign Organisation, Afolabi Orekoya, has questioned the omission of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 Ogun State governorship election, insisting that he fulfilled the necessary registration requirements.
Orekoya made the assertion on Monday, October 12, while speaking on a radio programme where he maintained that Adebutu completed his PDP membership registration within the period allowed by the electoral commission.
According to him, Adebutu registered online as a PDP member on April 17, 2026, ahead of the May 10 deadline for political parties to update and submit their membership registers to INEC.
Orekoya said the governorship hopeful completed the process and obtained a membership card, which he claimed was attached to the form submitted to the electoral commission.
He further alleged that Adebutu’s name and membership number had appeared in an earlier list published by INEC, raising questions about why the candidate was subsequently missing from the final list.
“The publication that INEC made pasted not only his name but wrote his membership numbers on it,” Orekoya said, insisting that the campaign organisation had evidence to support its position.
The campaign aide also questioned the circumstances surrounding the omission, noting that the Ogun PDP had candidates listed for other elective positions in the state.
According to him, Adebutu’s absence was particularly puzzling because, as he put it, “It is only Ladi Adebutu that they can’t find its name on the list.”
Orekoya also questioned reports of celebrations among some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over Adebutu’s absence from the list, asking how they appeared to know in advance that the PDP candidate would not be included.
He, however, did not provide independent evidence during the broadcast to establish the basis for his allegation about the APC members’ prior knowledge.
Addressing the PDP’s internal leadership dispute, Orekoya argued that the crisis should not invalidate Adebutu’s registration, maintaining that the process was conducted under a party leadership structure recognised by INEC at the time.
He identified the structure as the Wike-led PDP leadership and said Adebutu’s camp participated in the membership registration exercise conducted under that arrangement.
The dispute over the candidate list raises questions about the registration documentation and administrative processes underpinning the nomination of candidates ahead of the Ogun governorship election. However, the campaign organisation’s claims do not, on their own, establish the reason for Adebutu’s omission.
INEC’s explanation for the omission was not included in the account of the broadcast, leaving the specific grounds for the decision unclear.
Orekoya appealed to PDP supporters and residents of Ogun State to remain calm while efforts are made to resolve the matter, disclosing that the party’s national leadership was already engaging with the electoral commission.
“The party at the national level is already in touch with INEC,” he said.
The development comes as political parties prepare for the 2027 elections, with the publication of final candidate lists marking a significant stage in the electoral process.
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