Oyo Electoral Commission Accepts Wike-Backed PDP Candidates

The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) has accepted the list of chairmanship and councillorship candidates submitted by the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for the forthcoming local government elections.

The development gives the Wike-aligned faction a pathway to participate in the December 29, 2026 council elections across the 33 local government areas of Oyo State.

The party submitted its list of candidates to OYSIEC through a letter dated July 30, 2026. The document was signed by the PDP state chairman, Professor Rahman Akinoso, and formally notified the commission of the party’s intention to participate in the council election.

The letter also stated that the party’s primary elections had been conducted peacefully and in accordance with the rules guiding the nomination process.

The acceptance of the list has attracted attention because of the ongoing leadership dispute within the PDP. At the national level, the Independent National Electoral Commission has been dealing with the National Working Committee led by Abdulrahman Mohammed in the processes relating to the 2027 general elections.

The latest action by OYSIEC is therefore being viewed by political observers as an indication that the state electoral commission is taking a position similar to that of INEC in the PDP leadership dispute.

The development also comes against the background of court decisions concerning the rival PDP structures and their participation in elections.

A party source argued that with INEC already recognising the Abdulrahman-led national leadership for the 2027 electoral process, it would have been difficult for OYSIEC to adopt a different position in the state’s local government election.

With the submission of the candidates’ list now accepted, the Wike-backed faction is positioned to contest the council elections across Oyo State.

The development could further deepen the political disagreement between the faction backed by Wike and the group associated with Governor Seyi Makinde.

The Makinde-backed faction had not publicly responded to the decision at the time of filing the report.

Efforts to obtain a reaction from OYSIEC were also unsuccessful.

The Oyo State local government elections are scheduled to take place on December 29, 2026.