The Nigeria Democratic Party (NDC) has taken a protest to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ekiti State following the exclusion of the names of two senatorial candidates of the party from the commission’s final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The protesters, who were led by members and supporters of the NDC and the Obedient Movement in the state, demanded the immediate restoration of the names of the party’s candidates for Ekiti North Senatorial District, Prince Adeyinka Ali and Ekiti South Senatorial District, Ayokunle Olusegun.
The protesters stated that the two candidates emerged from the party’s primary election held on May 29, 2026, and had earlier been recognised by INEC as the legitimate candidates of the party for the two senatorial districts.
They expressed concern that their names were subsequently missing from the final list published by the electoral commission, describing the development as unacceptable and a threat to the democratic process.
Speaking on behalf of Olusegun, Adediji Segun said the protesters were at the INEC office to demand the restoration of the two candidates to the commission’s list.
He said the candidates had invested heavily in the party and questioned the basis for their sudden exclusion.
“We want INEC to integrate their names back to the lists. They are the financiers of the party and one person cannot just wake up one day and be deciding for us. We don’t want that”.
The leader of the Obedient Movement in Ekiti State, Emmanuel Olamidotun, said the movement would not accept injustice against any candidate of the party.
