The campaign organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the June 20, 2026, election in Ekiti State, Dr Wole Oluyede, has expressed confidence that the party and its candidate will overcome all challenges and defeat other contenders in the poll.
Other candidates in the election include the incumbent governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress; a former Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Mr Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress; and an oil and gas magnate, Dr Olusegun Osinkolu of the Young People’s Party.
The Director-General of the Wole Oluyede Campaign Council, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, said Oluyede would triumph over “all obstacles placed in his path by political opponents and vested interests determined to retain the APC in power.”
In a statement made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday by the campaign’s Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, Ogundipe said that despite what he described as calculated attempts by certain political actors and contractors to derail Oluyede’s ambition, the PDP candidate remained focused on reclaiming power for the benefit of Ekiti residents.
“Dr Oluyede convincingly won the PDP primary election. Although that victory was challenged by an aggrieved aspirant and subsequently nullified by a lower court, the party’s candidate will ultimately prevail.
“The PDP and its governorship candidate have filed an application for a stay of execution of the judgment and have also lodged an appeal. This ensures that our campaign can proceed without hindrance,” he said.
Ogundipe dismissed claims that the PDP was finished or incapable of fielding a candidate in the election, describing such assertions as premature.
“These setbacks are temporary. After a dark night comes a glorious dawn. The challenges confronting us are mere distractions and will not derail our march towards the Ekiti Government House. Neither Oluyede nor the PDP can be stopped,” he stated.
He described the June 20, 2026, governorship election as a direct contest between the people of Ekiti, represented by Oluyede, and the incumbent governor.
Ogundipe urged PDP members and supporters of the candidate to remain steadfast, prayerful and united, assuring them that Oluyede would surmount what he called deliberate obstacles placed in his path by the APC and its agents.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission had excluded Oluyede’s name from the list of 12 candidates cleared to participate in the election, following a judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti, which nullified the PDP primary election that produced him and ordered a fresh primary.
However, Oluyede and the PDP have appealed the court judgment and also approached the court to compel INEC to include his name on the ballot, expressing confidence that he would participate in the election and emerge victorious.
The PDP has accused the APC and Governor Oyebanji of orchestrating efforts to remove opposition contenders from the race, alleging fear of a competitive election.
But the APC Publicity Secretary in Ekiti State, Mr Segun Dipe, has repeatedly denied the allegation, insisting that his party had no hand in Oluyede’s exclusion.
“It is not in our interest for any candidate to be disqualified. We want all parties to participate so that we can secure a landslide victory,” Dipe said.