Turaki-Led PDP Backs Adeleke Despite Court Victory Restoring Party Candidate

• Court of Appeal restores Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola as PDP’s governorship candidate and orders INEC to include the party’s logo on Saturday’s ballot.

• Turaki-led PDP, however, throws its weight behind Governor Ademola Adeleke, saying the late judgement left its candidate with no realistic chance to campaign.

• Party accuses INEC of deliberately frustrating its participation through alleged bias and refusal to recognise its legitimate leadership.

• PDP urges members to vote for Adeleke, alleging the APC is pursuing a “do-or-die” agenda ahead of the Osun governorship election.

August 14, () — In a dramatic twist ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, the Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has endorsed Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, barely hours after securing a Court of Appeal judgement restoring its governorship candidate, Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola, to the ballot.

The development effectively places the Turaki-led PDP behind Adeleke’s re-election bid despite the appellate court’s decision directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the party’s candidate and include the PDP logo on the ballot for the August 15 poll.

The party announced its decision in a statement issued on Thursday by its Interim National Working Committee through its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, following consultations with key stakeholders.

According to the statement, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja upheld Adedamola’s nomination as the PDP governorship candidate after ruling that the party had validly conducted its primary election, which was monitored by INEC, and had lawfully forwarded the winner’s name to the electoral commission.

The appellate court reportedly held that the access code required for uploading candidates to INEC’s nomination portal was merely an administrative requirement that could not supersede the statutory obligation of a political party to submit the name of its candidate.

The judgement consequently directed INEC to immediately include the PDP logo on the ballot paper for Saturday’s governorship election.

Despite welcoming the judgement as a legal victory, the Turaki-led PDP accused INEC of deliberately frustrating the party’s participation in the election by refusing to recognise its leadership and withholding the access codes required for uploading candidates.

The party described the commission’s actions as evidence of persistent institutional bias allegedly designed to weaken opposition parties ahead of the election.

According to Ememobong, the PDP primary election was peaceful, transparent and duly monitored by INEC, yet the electoral body declined to recognise its candidate after the exercise.

The party maintained that the Court of Appeal’s judgement vindicated its position and confirmed that INEC acted improperly in excluding its candidate from the electoral process.

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Late Judgement Forces Strategic Decision

However, the PDP said the victory came too late to enable its candidate to mount a meaningful governorship campaign before Saturday’s election.

It described the judgement as “justice that came too late”, arguing that the absence of time to mobilise supporters and canvass votes across the state rendered participation practically impossible.

“Though justice has finally been done, in this case the grant of justice is akin to a denial as there is no opportunity for our candidate to undertake campaigns in preparation for the elections”, the party stated.

It added that the situation would have been avoided had INEC acted responsibly from the outset.

Following what it described as exhaustive consultations, the Interim National Working Committee resolved to support Governor Adeleke, whom it described as a former PDP member who left the party because of what it called a “state-engineered and funded leadership conflict”.

“As a true opposition party and in defence of multi-party democracy, the Committee has decided to support the candidature of Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party for Saturday’s governorship election”, the statement read.

The party consequently directed all its members and supporters across Osun State to vote for Adeleke, urging them to participate peacefully in the election, defend their votes and ensure every valid ballot is counted.

APC Accused Of ‘Do-Or-Die’ Politics

The Turaki-led PDP also used the occasion to accuse the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to secure electoral victory through what it described as a “do-or-die” approach rather than popular support.

The party urged Nigerians and election stakeholders to resist any attempt to manipulate the outcome of the governorship election.

“Nigerians must resist the shameful do-or-die disposition of the APC to win elections in places where they are not popular, against the clear wishes of the people”, the statement declared.

It insisted that elections must remain a genuine expression of the people’s will, warning that any attempt to subvert the electoral process would amount to “robbery” of the electorate.

Saturday’s governorship election has attracted nationwide attention as one of Nigeria’s most closely watched off-cycle polls, with Governor Adeleke seeking re-election against the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dr Najeem Salam, among other contenders.