ABEOKUTA – chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Chairman of the Planning Committee of the Ogun State APC Presidential and Gubernatorial Campaign Council, Hon. Kayode Oladele, has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State of living in self denial over its deepening internal crisis and the legal consequences of the Supreme Court judgment affecting its participation in the 2027 governorship election.
Oladele maintained that the prospects of Hon. Ladi Adebutu returning to the governorship ballot had become increasingly remote following the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the statutory requirements governing political party membership registers, insisting that the PDP could not overcome its legal difficulties through political grandstanding or repeated attacks on the APC governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi.
He said the emerging dispute between Adebutu and another PDP governorship aspirant, Topa Olusegun Peter over the party’s ticket had further exposed the contradictions within the opposition party, which was already struggling with the omission of its candidate from the list published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The PDP in Ogun State is living in self denial. Its leaders know the challenges confronting their party, yet they continue to behave as though political grandstanding can cure legal defects or reverse the consequences of judicial decisions.
“Going by the Supreme Court’s judgment and INEC’s explanation for excluding the PDP’s candidate, I cannot see a sustainable legal pathway for Adebutu unless his party can establish that the statutory requirements were satisfied or that INEC wrongly applied the law.
“The Supreme Court has settled the constitutionality of the relevant provisions. No lower court can overturn that interpretation. The PDP cannot obtain through political pressure what the law does not permit,” Oladele stated.
The former member of the House of Representatives said the controversy had assumed another dimension following competing claims to the PDP governorship ticket.
He noted that while Adebutu continued to insist that he remained the duly nominated candidate, Peter Topa had approached INEC through his lawyers, demanding verification of his nomination records and recognition as the party’s candidate.
“Only a few days ago, Adebutu was insisting that he remained the authentic governorship candidate of the PDP. Now another aspirant from the same party is demanding recognition as its candidate.
“The question is simple: who exactly is the PDP governorship candidate? Is it Adebutu or Topa Peter? More importantly, can either of them overcome the statutory requirements following the Supreme Court’s decision?
“The PDP is now fighting on two fronts. It is struggling with the legal consequences of its electoral exclusion while simultaneously confronting competing claims to its governorship ticket. Yet its leaders continue to pretend that nothing is fundamentally wrong,” he said.
Oladele, a lawyer and former Acting Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, reiterated that Nigeria’s constitutional framework does not recognise independent candidacy, stressing that candidates derive their electoral sponsorship from political parties.
He explained that where a political party is legally barred from sponsoring candidates, the consequences necessarily extend to individuals seeking election through that platform, subject to the precise terms of the applicable law and judicial decisions.
“The Supreme Court remains the highest judicial authority in Nigeria and its decisions are binding on all persons and authorities, including INEC. No lower court possesses the jurisdiction to sit on appeal over a judgment of the Supreme Court.
“This is precisely why I have consistently maintained that although the immediate legal consequences of noncompliance may fall on a political party, the ultimate electoral casualties are the individuals seeking office on its platform.
“Adebutu may continue to insist that he is the party’s candidate, while Topa Peter pursues his own claim. However, neither competing ambitions nor internal party arrangements can cure a statutory disability affecting the party’s eligibility to sponsor candidates,” he added.
“It is therefore politically dishonest to blame Senator Yayi or the APC for problems arising from the opposition party’s own internal processes. The PDP should stop looking for imaginary enemies and begin addressing the contradictions within its own political household.”
He insisted that the APC would prosecute a vigorous and issue based campaign regardless of the eventual resolution of the PDP’s electoral difficulties.
“Our confidence does not rest on the political misfortunes of any opposition party. It rests on our organisation, the record of our candidate and the confidence we are determined to earn from the electorate.
“We shall campaign competitively and seek the mandate of Ogun people through the democratic process. However, the PDP must understand that attacking Senator Yayi cannot resolve its internal crisis or cure whatever legal challenges may be confronting its electoral participation.”
Oladele urged the PDP leadership to abandon what he described as its politics of denial and confront its difficulties through legitimate internal and judicial processes.
“The PDP cannot continue to live in an imaginary political world while the electoral process moves forward. The law does not bend to accommodate political expectations, and denial is not a substitute for compliance.
“The political reality is staring the PDP in the face. Its greatest challenge today is not Senator Yayi or the APC. It is the unresolved crisis within its own ranks and the legal consequences of its electoral predicament.
“Until the PDP confronts these realities, it will continue to fight political battles while ignoring the fundamental problems threatening its own electoral future,” Oladele concluded.
