2027: How PDP crisis threatens Adebutu’s Ogun gov ambition

The exclusion of the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State, Oladipupo Adebutu, from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s list of candidates has placed his 2027 ambition in jeopardy, OLUFEMI ADEDIRAN reports

The journey to the Ogun State governorship seat has taken an uncertain turn for the Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Oladipupo Adebutu, as the internal crisis rocking the party threatens to end his ambition before the February 6, 2027 election.

The Iperu-born politician, who polled 262,383 votes in the March 18, 2023 governorship election, is facing the possibility of being shut out of the 2027 contest following his exclusion, alongside his running mate, Yemi Sowunmi-Kolapo, from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s list of candidates.

The development has placed Adebutu in an uncomfortable position, although he insists that he was duly registered as a member of the PDP and qualified to contest.

However, INEC, in a statement by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, maintained that the PDP failed to comply with the requirement to submit its membership register before conducting valid primaries.

Despite the PDP’s petition over Adebutu’s omission, the commission did not include his name in the final list after the expiration of the 14-day window.

For a politician seeking another opportunity to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress in Ogun, the controversy has become a battle over his political future, with the outcome likely to shape the PDP’s prospects in the state.

A familiar crisis, a new political battle

Sunday PUNCH, however, notes that the development is a familiar predicament for Adebutu, who encountered a similar challenge ahead of the 2019 governorship election when the PDP’s leadership crisis produced two factions and competing candidates.

At the time, two factions of the party conducted separate governorship primaries. Adebutu emerged from the primary conducted by the National Working Committee led by Uche Secondus, while late senator Buruji Kashamu emerged from a parallel exercise conducted by the Adebayo Dayo-led state executive faction.

Adebutu eventually lost the ticket after a Federal High Court directed INEC to recognise Kashamu as the party’s candidate.

Eight years later, another internal disagreement has placed his governorship ambition in jeopardy.

Findings by Sunday PUNCH reveal that the root cause of Adebutu’s exclusion can be traced to the prolonged leadership crisis at the PDP’s national level.

The PDP has remained divided between two rival factions. One, backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is led by Abdulrahman Mohammed as National Chairman. The other, led by former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Turaki, also lays claim to the party’s national leadership.

Although the Mohammed-led executive is recognised by INEC, both factions conducted parallel membership registration exercises within the stipulated period.

Adebutu’s association with the Turaki-led faction is said to be the major issue in the controversy surrounding his exclusion.

An Ogun PDP official, who spoke to Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity, said Adebutu registered with the faction whose activities were rejected by INEC.

The official said the governorship hopeful’s name was missing from the digital membership register submitted to the commission by the Mohammed-led executive before the party’s primary.

“His (Adebutu) name is not on the party digital register that was submitted to INEC, 21 days to the PDP primary election in the state by the Mohammed-led exco of the party. He registered with the Turaki-led faction of the party. This is why even after the 14-day window of appeal, INEC still did not publish his name,” the source said.

Similarly, a party leader in the state, Gbenga Akanji, blamed the Wike-backed faction for Adebutu’s exclusion. He alleged that the faction was targeting the governorship hopeful because of his relationship with the Turaki-led faction.

Akanji questioned why INEC published the name of Iyabo Obasanjo, who defected from the APC to the PDP days before the party’s senatorial primary, as its candidate for Ogun Central Senatorial District, while excluding Adebutu, whom he described as a long-standing member of the party.

“This is pure politics. How can Iyabo Obasanjo’s name be on the list and Adebutu, who has been a member of the party for over 20 years, could not make the list? I think this is the handiwork of the Wike-led faction, which felt Adebutu should be punished because of his relationship with the Turaki faction.

“How can anyone say Adebutu is not a member of the PDP? I believe his name was removed from the party register because of his association with the Turaki faction,” he said.

Adebutu fights back

However, Adebutu has rejected questions about his membership of the PDP, describing the omission of his name as a deliberate attempt to undermine his political ambition.

Speaking on Monday at the party’s state secretariat in Abeokuta, he said he actively participated in organising and funding the recent membership registration exercise in Ogun, during which more than 19,800 members were registered.

He disclosed that his registration number was 1536, insisting that he was duly registered and qualified to contest the governorship election.

“Why shouldn’t my name come out? I was duly registered and orchestrated the registration exercise in this state,” he said, adding that INEC’s conduct of the party’s primary was evidence that his membership had been recognised.

The former governorship candidate also accused the APC and its governorship candidate, Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, of attempting to weaken the opposition and pave the way for an uncontested election.

“They want to shut us up and make sure they run unopposed. But we will resist it,” he said.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his candidacy, Adebutu has maintained that the development would not derail his campaign. He said the party had visited 12 local government areas in the state and would not allow the controversy to distract it from its preparations.

“We have no fear at all. It has not slowed us down. We will not be distracted; we will keep our eyes on the ball,” he added.

His confidence is shared by some PDP chieftains in the state, who believe that the matter will eventually be resolved through INEC’s administrative process or litigation.

A former Chairman of Ijebu East LGA, Wale Adedayo, said he had no doubt that Adebutu would eventually make the ballot, insisting that the PDP had only one recognised faction in Ogun State.

Adedayo questioned INEC’s decision to publish the names of 38 out of the 40 candidates submitted by the party while excluding Adebutu and his running mate.

“I’m sure the issue will be resolved soon. Ladi will be on the ballot, I have no doubt about it, either through the courts or through the normal administrative process. There are no two factions of PDP in Ogun State. So, you can’t say you are taking 38 candidates and you are rejecting two when it is the same national secretariat that forwarded their names to you. On what basis?”

Adedayo, who said Adebutu had been funding the party, described the development as an unprecedented interference in the internal affairs of a political party.

He argued that INEC had no authority to determine candidates presented by political parties, citing Supreme Court pronouncements on the matter.

“In Nigeria, the major problem we have is impunity. We have had a lot of impunity being done over the years. It is the first time in the history of Nigeria, not even during the first republic, second republic or the third republic, that this kind of thing has happened.

“It has never happened that a political party will submit the list of its candidates and the electoral body will say no, they are removing one or two. When the Supreme Court has already said it is not the responsibility of INEC to determine who a party presents, that the political party holds the final decision when it comes to its candidates,” Adedayo added.

Also, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Fasiu Bakene, expressed confidence that INEC would eventually restore Adebutu’s name to the list.

Bakene, a former member of the state House of Assembly, urged the commission to correct what he described as an injustice, adding that the party would seek legal redress if it failed to do so.

He also dismissed allegations that Wike was responsible for Adebutu’s predicament, describing such claims as mischievous.

“Wike is many things, but he is not a destroyer. He cannot destroy the party he is committed to building,” he said.

Bakene hinted that the PDP might take legal action against INEC if the commission failed to restore the names of Adebutu and his running mate to the final list.

He insisted that the party remained united in Ogun despite the controversy, adding that the exclusion had strengthened the resolve of its members.

According to him, the delay in restoring the candidates’ names had not weakened the party’s support base, as members and supporters remained eager to see the PDP participate fully in the 2027 governorship election.

APC points to PDP’s internal failures

Meanwhile, the APC has dismissed allegations of interference, insisting that the PDP should take responsibility for its internal problems.

A member of the Media and Communications Committee of the APC Campaign Council in Ogun State, Bolaji Adeniji, blamed Adebutu’s predicament on the PDP’s leadership crisis and alleged failure to comply with INEC’s guidelines on membership registration.

He argued that the governorship hopeful should look inwards rather than accuse the ruling party and its candidate of plotting to weaken the opposition.

“If Adebutu violated the procedures of the INEC guideline, which was sustained by the judgment of the Supreme Court, why are you blaming APC for that? Why will you blame the APC or Yayi for your gambling between two factions of the PDP?” Adeniji said.

He described the PDP’s internal processes as lax and ineffective, arguing that the party had failed to ensure that its candidate was properly registered.

Adeniji also claimed that Atiku Abubakar and Seyi Makinde, who were associated with the Turaki-led faction, left the party because they considered it a sinking ship.

“He (Adebutu) gambled between these two factions of a sinking party. The likes of Atiku Abubakar and Seyi Makinde that were with the Turaki faction left the party because they knew that it was a sinking ship that was taking anybody nowhere. But Ladi Adebutu chose to stick with it. Now he has sunk with the party. His predicament is self-inflicted. He should lick his wounds quietly and bid his governorship ambition goodbye because, as of today, he is not a candidate.”