The Senator for Osun Central, Olubiyi Fadeyi, said on Saturday that claims about his re-election being blocked by last Thursday's Supreme Court ruling are not true.
The Supreme Court upheld an appeal from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This appeal challenged a Court of Appeal ruling that cancelled parts of the Electoral Act 2026 related to party primaries and membership lists.
In a statement released in Osogbo on Saturday, Fadeyi insisted that the process that made him the candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Osun Central Senatorial District in the 2027 elections followed the Constitution and the Electoral Acts.
INEC's appeal came after the Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the Zenith Labour Party in a case at the Federal High Court.
A panel of seven judges, led by Justice Adamu Jauro, overturned the Court of Appeal's decision. The Supreme Court upheld the trial court's ruling.
The court stated that Sections 77(5) and 84 of the Electoral Act do not go against the 1999 Constitution. The court also ordered a cost of N2 million against the Zenith Labour Party.
Additionally, the court dismissed two other appeals from the Social Democratic Party and the Youth Party, which had also challenged INEC.
Fadeyi responded to rumors suggesting that the Supreme Court ruling had ended his chances of returning to the Senate. He accused his political rivals of spreading these claims out of fear of his popularity ahead of the 2027 election.
He added in his statement, "To be clear, there is no evidence of Fadeyi’s disqualification from any court, so claims of his disqualification are baseless and speculative.
"The process that awarded the PDP ticket to Senator Fadeyi for a second term is clear, legal, and approved by all relevant party leaders. The PDP followed electoral law, and everything was done according to the rules.
"Also, the PDP has followed the electoral law for all her candidates in the 2027 elections. It is important to note that neither the PDP nor Senator Olubiyi Fadeyi, Ph.D., is involved in the case, while the Zenith Labour Party and Young Progressive Party are the main parties in the judgment.
"Experts in constitutional law have confirmed that the recent Supreme Court ruling does not affect the names of candidates already published by INEC."
Fadeyi emphasized that any issues surrounding his candidacy are internal matters of the PDP. He stated that it has been officially confirmed that he is the true candidate supported by the party.
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