The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship candidate in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu, has described the omission of his name from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s final list of candidates for the 2027 governorship election as a temporary distraction.
Adebutu, who spoke on Monday while receiving defectors from the All Progressives Congress into the PDP, said the development would not stop his political activities or campaign ahead of the election.
INEC had omitted Adebutu and the PDP from its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027, governorship election in Ogun State.
The list, signed by the commission’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, and published on INEC’s website, contained 13 candidates, with no candidate listed for the PDP.
The omission followed controversies surrounding Adebutu’s membership of the PDP, particularly allegations that his name was not included in the party’s membership register submitted to INEC.
However, Adebutu insisted that he remained a committed member of the PDP, challenging anyone to produce evidence that he had ever left the party.
He said he had contested elections under the platform of the PDP for about two decades and had never defected to another political party.
“I have been a candidate of PDP five consecutive times. For the last 20 years, every election cycle, I have been a candidate of PDP. At what stage did I leave the party? Where is the proof that for one day, I even visited APC office?” Adebutu asked.
The PDP candidate also said he was actively involved in the recent membership registration exercise in Ogun State, which he claimed recorded about 19,800 new members.
Adebutu disclosed that his registration number was 1536, questioning how his membership could be disputed after his alleged involvement in the exercise.
He said, “For somebody that registered 20,000, whose number is 1536? So I don’t know the magic. The story is up to Nigerians to decide.”
Adebutu further accused the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state of attempting to weaken opposition parties and restrict democratic space.
He argued that a government confident in its performance should be willing to face its opponents at the polls rather than seek to frustrate them.
“Should it be a party’s policy to hold down other parties? If you mean well and you have done well for your people, you should be able to place your scorecard on the table. You don’t disqualify opponents,” he said.
The former lawmaker also alleged that his supporters were being harassed and that opposition billboards were being removed or destroyed across the state.
Despite the controversy, Adebutu said he would remain focused on his political consultations, noting that he had already visited 12 of the state’s 20 local government areas and 140 of its 236 wards.
He maintained that his membership of the PDP was valid, insisting that there was justice in the country and that the current situation would eventually be resolved.
“There is justice in Nigeria. I was duly registered. I orchestrated registration in this state. The precondition for holding primaries is that you must be attested to be a party member,” he said.
Adebutu added that the development was only intended to slow down his political activities and discourage his supporters.
“This is just to slow down the process and make the people disenfranchised and disenchanted. But never mind, it will end and it will even be a blessing to us. We will not be distracted. We keep our eyes on the ball and we shall win,” he said.
