The governorship bid of Peoples Democratic Party chieftain Oladipupo Adebutu has run into serious difficulty after the Independent National Electoral Commission omitted his name from the published list of candidates for the Ogun State 2027 race.
Adebutu, alongside his running mate Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, did not make the final compilation released by the commission, according to Punch. The electoral body confirmed the exclusion followed procedural non-compliance during the party's nomination processes.
National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee at INEC, Mohammed Haruna, stated that the PDP did not fulfill the statutory requirement of submitting its membership register before staging valid primary elections. The commission maintained its stance even after the expiration of a 14-day petition window.
Adebutu has firmly defended his status, maintaining that he remains a properly registered member of the PDP and holds every qualification required to run. The Iperu-born politician had previously secured 262,383 votes in the state's March 18, 2023 governorship election before setting his sights on the February 6, 2027 contest.
The current setback stems from an ongoing national leadership divide within the opposition party. The PDP is fractured into two rival camps: one backed by Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike and chaired by Abdulrahman Mohammed, and another led by former Special Duties Minister Kabiru Turaki.
While INEC formally deals with the Mohammed-led national leadership, both wings ran separate membership registration programmes. An unnamed Ogun PDP official revealed that Adebutu aligned with the Turaki camp, meaning his details were absent from the digital membership directory delivered to the commission by the Mohammed executive before the state primary.
Local party figure Gbenga Akanji voiced frustration over the development, alleging that the faction aligned with Wike deliberately sidelined Adebutu over his alliance with Turaki. Akanji pointed out that former senator Iyabo Obasanjo made the list as the Ogun Central senatorial candidate despite joining from the All Progressives Congress shortly before primaries, while a long-time member was left out.
This is not Adebutu's first encounter with party factional disputes. In 2019, parallel primaries split the state chapter, leaving Adebutu with the National Working Committee ticket while late senator Buruji Kashamu ran under the state executive faction, with the courts ultimately ordering INEC to recognise Kashamu.
