ABEOKUTA — Fresh controversy is brewing within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State following claims that the names of several of its 2027 candidates are missing from the party’s authentic membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
An examination of the register obtained for this reporter shows that while some candidates have their names on the document, others contesting for the governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly are not listed.
The development has raised questions about compliance with the Electoral Act and the possible implications for the affected candidates and the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
On the governorship list, the name of Ladi Adebutu did not appear on the register examined.
However, the names of the three senatorial candidates, Iyabo Obasanjo for Ogun Central, Omotayo Oluwafemi Abdulwaheed for Ogun East and Ogunola Babatunde for Ogun West — are listed as absent from the document examined.
For the House of Representatives, Adekoja Adesegun Abdulmajid of Ijebu East/Ijebu North/Ogun Waterside, Jones Olumide Akintunde of Ewekoro/Ifo and Amuzu Oluwatoyin Anthony of Abeokuta South are among those whose names appear on the register.
Those listed as absent include Ogunbanjo Wale Anthony for Ijebu Ode/Ijebu North East/Odogbolu; Adeshina Adigun Emmanuel for Yewa North/Imeko-Afon; Agemo Okuboyejo for Ado-Odo/Ota; Oluwole Bolarin for Remo North/Ikenne/Sagamu; Olaleye Oladele for Abeokuta North/Obafemi Owode/Odeda; and Afolabi Oluwatade Jeremiah for Egbado South/Ipokia.
The State House of Assembly list also presents a mixed picture.
Among those whose names appear on the register are Bello Aderemi of Odeda, Shodipe Tobi of Obafemi Owode, Idowu Abiodun Issa of Ewekoro, Kuye Omobolaji of Ijebu North II, Oludaisi Yusuf Abiodun of Ijebu Ode, Adeniye Sulaimon of Ikenne and Ogundele Jacob of Egbado South.
Those whose names are not found on the document include Majekodunmi Olufunbi, Adeoye Adewale Adeniran, Oyebande Moruff Kehinde, Ayoade Tunde Kunle, Agbolade Oladapo Olayemi, Adeboye Badejo, Anifowose Yomi, Adewale Solomon Damilola, Oyesanya Kehinde Adebambo, Oluwole David Olutayo, Ibitayo Olufemi Anthony, Adeagbo Rasaq Adigun, Ogunbiyi Philips Oluwatobi, Mautin Oluwatosin Gbehosu and Omoroga Abayomi.
The issue assumes added significance following recent judicial pronouncements on political parties and membership registers.
The Electoral Act requires political parties to maintain a membership register and make it available to INEC within the period prescribed by law. The Supreme Court has also recently interpreted the consequences of non-compliance with the membership-register provisions.
The court’s position, as reported in the recent judgment, is that failure to comply with the statutory requirement does not automatically amount to the personal disqualification of an individual candidate. Rather, the consequence may affect the political party’s eligibility to field candidates.
This distinction is important because the mere absence of an individual’s name from a document should not, without more evidence, be reported as an automatic disqualification from the 2027 election.
The legal question is whether the party complied with the Electoral Act, whether the relevant register was properly submitted to INEC within the prescribed period, and whether the nomination process complied with the law.
The controversy is not limited to the PDP.
Bolaji Marie Odusina, who has been presented as the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ogun State, is also reportedly absent from the party register examined.
The development therefore raises a broader question about the relationship between political parties’ membership records, their primary processes and the candidates subsequently presented for election.
For now, the documents examined raise questions rather than provide a final legal determination on the status of the affected candidates.
With the 2027 elections approaching, attention is expected to focus on the authentic registers lodged with INEC, the records used during the parties’ primaries and the courts’ interpretation of the Electoral Act.
The ultimate significance of the controversy will depend on what the certified INEC records contain and whether the political parties can demonstrate compliance with the statutory requirements.
