From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu, and his running mate, AbdulKabir Adekunle Akinlade, were not listed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in its list of gubernatorial candidates, released on Tuesday.
The PDP standard bearer’s names and that of his running mate might have been struck out arising from a recent court judgement which declared illegal the primary election that produced Adebutu as the party’s candidate in Ogun State.
A federal high court sitting in Abeokuta, last Tuesday, had given a judgment nullifying all the primaries conducted by the PDP in the state.
The court also barred INEC from recognizing Adebutu as the governorship candidate of the party in the state.
Delivering his ruling, Justice O.O Oguntoyinbo ordered fresh primaries for all the positions within 14 days.
Meanwhile, according to the INEC list pasted at their headquarters in Magbon Area of Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other 12 political parties had their candidates’ names published.
Other parties such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC); the Social Democratic Party (SDP); the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP); the Allied People’s Movement (APM); the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) among others, had their governorship candidates names on the INEC list.