2027 Election: INEC Disowns Adebutu’s Membership Number, Says It Belongs To Another Person

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained why it excluded Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu from its final list of candidates for the February 6, 2027, Ogun State governorship election.

The commission told the Federal High Court in Abuja that Adebutu’s name was missing from the membership register submitted by the PDP, insisting that it could not recognise him as the party’s candidate without the required documentation.

According to Bush Radio Academy, INEC disclosed its position in a counter-affidavit filed in response to a suit instituted by the PDP and Adebutu, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2573/2026.

The plaintiffs are seeking an order compelling the electoral commission to recognise Adebutu as the party’s governorship candidate for the forthcoming election.

In his deposition on behalf of INEC, Mustapha Mohammed, a Chief Programme Analyst in the commission’s Information and Communications Technology Department, said a review of the PDP membership register revealed the name of Adebutu’s running mate, Kolapo Lateefat Oyeyemi, but did not contain Adebutu’s details.

Mohammed explained that officials conducted searches using different variations of Adebutu’s name but could not locate his records in the register submitted by the party.

He further told the court that neither of the two flash drives submitted alongside the PDP’s hard-copy membership register contained Adebutu’s information.

The INEC official also alleged that the flash drive attached to the party’s court affidavit contained records different from those initially submitted to the commission.

Addressing Adebutu’s claim that his PDP membership registration number was 1536, Mohammed maintained that INEC’s records identified the number as belonging to another individual, Lugboso Sunday Seun.

The commission consequently defended its decision to exclude Adebutu, maintaining that it carried out the necessary checks before publishing the final list of governorship candidates.

Meanwhile, Justice Peter Lifu has fixed Friday for judgment in the suit after the parties adopted their final written addresses.

The development has also attracted reactions from political figures, with Labour Party chieftain Abayomi Arabambi accusing Adebutu of perjury over his claim concerning the disputed membership registration number.

Arabambi called on the Attorney-General of the Federation to investigate the allegation. He also urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to examine what he described as alleged attempts to influence the outcome of the proceedings.

Adebutu had previously told his supporters that his membership registration number during the PDP’s membership registration exercise was 1536, arguing that the number demonstrated that he remained a legitimate member of the opposition party.

With the court expected to deliver its judgment on Friday, attention is now focused on the legal battle, which could determine whether Adebutu will secure INEC’s recognition as the PDP’s governorship candidate for the 2027 Ogun State election.