The Senator for Osun Central, Olubiyi Fadeyi, on Saturday dismissed claims that his chance to be re-elected ended with last Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling.
The Supreme Court upheld the appeal by the Independent National Electoral Commission against a Court of Appeal ruling. That earlier ruling had cancelled parts of the Electoral Act 2026 that relate to political party primaries and membership lists.
Fadeyi, in a statement from Osogbo on Saturday, said the process that made him the candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party in the Osun Central Senatorial District for the 2027 elections followed the Constitution and the Electoral Acts.
INEC had appealed against parts of the Court of Appeal ruling in a case brought by the Zenith Labour Party at the Federal High Court.
A seven-member panel led by Justice Adamu Jauro overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision, which had supported the Zenith Labour Party, and backed the trial court’s ruling.
The court ruled that Sections 77(5) and 84 of the Electoral Act do not clash with the 1999 Constitution. The court also ordered the ZLP to pay N2 million in costs.
In addition, the court dismissed two other appeals from the Social Democratic Party and the Youth Party, which had also challenged INEC’s actions.
Responding to claims that the Supreme Court decision ended his Senate ambition, Fadeyi said those spreading the news were his political opponents, who are anxious about his popularity ahead of the 2027 elections.
His statement added, “To be clear, there is no solid proof of Fadeyi’s disqualification from any court, so the reports of his supposed disqualification are just guesses and untrue.
“The processes to grant the PDP ticket to Senator Fadeyi for a second term are clear, legal, and approved by all relevant party executives. The Peoples Democratic Party followed the electoral law, and everything was done according to the law and party rules.
“For the record, the PDP followed electoral laws for all its candidates in the 2027 general elections. Neither the PDP nor Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi Ph.D is involved in the case, while the Zenith Labour Party and the Young Progressive Party are the main parties in the judgment.
“Also, constitutional lawyers have stated that the recent Supreme Court ruling does not affect the names of candidates already published by the Independent National Electoral Commission.”
The lawmaker also noted that the matter regarding his candidacy is an internal issue for the PDP, confirming that he is the official candidate the party endorses.
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