Submission of Yayi’s name to INEC can’t validate disputed primary — Hunye

The camp of the All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant in Ogun State, Hon. Abayomi Hunye, has said the submission of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission cannot, on its own, settle the dispute surrounding the party’s May 21, 2026 governorship primary.

The position was contained in a statement signed by Hunye’s Media Adviser, Femi Oyewale, on Wednesday, following reports that the APC had uploaded the particulars of Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, and his running mate to the INEC candidate nomination portal.

The Ogun State APC had earlier reaffirmed Adeola as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election and said his particulars had been submitted to INEC. The party also said an acknowledgement of the submission was issued by the electoral commission.

It would be recalled that the APC maintained that Adeola emerged from the party’s governorship primary and that his name had subsequently been forwarded to INEC.

However, Hunye argued that the administrative submission of a candidate’s particulars should not be confused with a judicial determination of the validity of the primary from which the candidate emerged.

“The mere submission or uploading of Senator Adeola’s name to the INEC portal does not, without more, transform a disputed or allegedly invalid party primary into a valid one,” the statement said.

According to Hunye, the legal dispute over the process that produced Adeola remains pending and the submission of his name does not extinguish the issues before the court.

The statement further claimed that INEC was a party to the pending litigation, arguing that the commission’s receipt or acknowledgement of the documents should not be presented as a judicial endorsement of the primary.

“The question before the court is fundamentally whether the process through which Senator Adeola was purportedly nominated complied with the applicable law, including the Electoral Act 2026, the relevant INEC Regulations and Guidelines, and the rules governing the APC primary,” it said.

The Electoral Act 2026 provides that political parties must submit to INEC the list of candidates they propose to sponsor and that such candidates are expected to have emerged from valid party primaries. The law also provides for the publication of candidates’ particulars after submission.

Similarly, INEC’s 2026 Regulations and Guidelines define primaries as intra-party elections conducted by members of a political party to nominate candidates in accordance with the party’s constitution and the law. The regulations also recognise the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal for the submission of relevant candidate information.

Hunye’s camp therefore maintained that an acknowledgement of documents uploaded to the portal should not be interpreted as a final determination of all disputes surrounding the nomination.

“Submission is not the same thing as a final judicial determination of the validity of the primary that produced the candidate,” the statement added.

‘INEC acknowledgement is not judicial clearance’

The former Ogun State Commissioner for Community Development and Cooperatives said there was a need to distinguish between the various stages of the electoral process.

According to him, there is a difference between a political party conducting a primary, forwarding the name of its preferred candidate to INEC, INEC receiving the documents and a court determining whether the primary complied with the law.

Hunye said, “The public should therefore distinguish between APC conducting or purporting to conduct a primary; APC submitting a candidate’s name to INEC; INEC receiving or acknowledging the submission; INEC’s subsequent statutory processing and publication of candidate information; and a judicial determination concerning the validity of the primary and the resulting nomination.

“These are separate stages and should not be deliberately conflated.”

The statement further argued that INEC’s regulations provide procedures for parties to upload candidate information and submit nomination documents, while the Electoral Act 2026 establishes the statutory framework for party nominations.

Hunye consequently urged stakeholders not to regard the acknowledgement of Adeola’s nomination documents as an automatic resolution of the legal dispute.

Hunye asks court to determine validity of primary

The central issue, according to Hunye, is whether the May 21, 2026 APC governorship primary in Ogun State was validly conducted and whether Adeola validly emerged from the process as the party’s candidate.

He said the subsequent forwarding of Adeola’s name to INEC could not prevent the court from examining the legality of the process that allegedly produced the nomination.

“Our position is simply that an administrative submission cannot, on its own, determine a disputed question that is already before a court of competent jurisdiction,” Hunye stated.

He added that he had no intention of usurping the statutory responsibilities of INEC or the constitutional role of the judiciary.

“Hon. Abayomi Hunye respects the constitutional and statutory responsibilities of INEC and has no intention of usurping the role of the Commission or the judiciary,” the statement said.

The development comes amid a prolonged dispute over the APC governorship ticket in Ogun State, with the party insisting that Adeola remains its recognised candidate, while Hunye has continued to challenge aspects of the nomination process.

The APC had also publicly reaffirmed Adeola as its candidate and said his particulars, alongside those of his running mate, had been submitted to INEC. The acknowledgement documents referenced by the party indicated that the submission was made on August 7, 2026.

Hunye, however, said he would continue to pursue the legal avenues available to him.

“The submission of Senator Adeola’s name to INEC is noted. But the submission does not extinguish the pending litigation, does not determine the validity of the disputed primary and does not constitute a substitute for a judicial determination of the issues before the court.

“Hon. Abayomi Hunye will continue to pursue all lawful remedies available to him.

“We remain confident that the relevant documents, evidence and applicable law will ultimately speak for themselves.

“The matter is before the court. We shall allow the law to take its course,” the statement concluded.