PDP Alleges Exclusion Plot as INEC, IPAC Move to Calm Tensions in Ekiti

By Samuel Sunday 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State on Tuesday has raised alarm over what it described as an attempt to edge it out of the forthcoming election, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) offered clarifications on the controversy surrounding the party’s candidate.

Speaking at the INEC office in Ado-Ekiti, PDP chieftain Deji Ogunsakin said the party was shocked by the non-listing of its candidate, insisting that the PDP primary election was lawfully conducted and duly monitored by INEC.

Ogunsakin said INEC officials supervised the PDP primary from night till the following morning, with no court order stopping the exercise and no judgment delivered afterward. “This situation is shocking and unprecedented in Ekiti State. INEC monitored our primary from start to finish. There was no litigation against it, yet our candidate’s name did not appear. That raises serious concerns,” he said.

He warned that excluding a major opposition party could heighten political tension and fuel fears of an emerging one-party system in the state.  “We do not want a crisis in Ekiti. But attempts to sideline the PDP will only create unnecessary tension. No political party has ever been denied participation in an election in this state,” Ogunsakin added.

Ekiti State IPAC Chairman, Mr. Owoola Daramola, while addressing the members of the public said the council stepped in to prevent what it considered an unfair and illegal exclusion from the electoral process.

Daramola said available records showed that the PDP complied with due process and the Electoral Act during its primary election, stressing that any issue likely occurred after the primary at the national submission stage.

“From what we have seen, PDP followed the rules. INEC monitored the primary and a valid candidate emerged. Whatever went wrong did not happen in Ekiti State, and it should not be used to deny the party participation,” he said.

He warned that elections cannot be credible if major parties are excluded.

“There can be no free and fair election if one party is unfairly removed. If the reasons for this exclusion remain unclear, IPAC will take a firm position. The playing field must be level,” Daramola said.

Head of Election and Political Monitoring (EPM) at INEC, Mr. Kehinde Mustafa, said the commission does not possess the constitutional authority to disqualify candidates, emphasizing that candidate submission rests entirely with political parties.

“INEC is not the custodian of candidate submissions. That responsibility belongs to the political parties. Once a party submits a name, INEC only assesses compliance. Under the law, we do not have the power to disqualify candidates arbitrarily,” Mustafa said.

He explained that the Electoral Act and several court judgments clearly place candidate qualification and submission in the hands of political parties, provided timelines are followed.

Mustafa added that the submission window was still open and that similar issues had been resolved in the past once proper procedures were regularised.

“The process is still ongoing. INEC is guided strictly by the rule of law. We are not aligned with any political party. Our duty is to ensure a credible election,” he said.

PDP and IPAC leaders urged calm while engagements continue at the national level, insisting that fairness, transparency, and inclusion must define the electoral process in Ekiti State.