PDP absent as INEC clears 14 parties for Osun governorship election

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the personal particulars and credentials of candidates and their running mates for the forthcoming Osun State governorship election, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) conspicuously absent from the list of qualified political parties.

INEC, in a statement issued on Sunday by the Commission’s Public Affairs Officer in Osun State, Musa Olurode, confirmed that 14 political parties have successfully complied with the Commission’s requirements within the stipulated timeframe.

According to Olurode, the political parties that validly uploaded the names and particulars of their candidates and running mates, as released by the headquarters of the Commission in Abuja, are: A, AA, AAC, ADC, ADP, APGA, APC, APM, APP, BP, NNPP, PRP, YPP, and ZLP.

“In accordance with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 and as provided in Item 4 of the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Osun State Governorship Election, the Commission has published the personal particulars of candidates and their running mates (Form EC9). Copies of each candidate’s Form EC9, together with all accompanying academic credentials and other documents submitted, will be displayed at the INEC State Office and in all thirty (30) Local Government Area Offices, as well as the Area Office of the Commission in Osun State, on Monday, 16 February 2026.”

The Commission emphasised that only parties that met constitutional and regulatory requirements within the prescribed period would participate in the election.

Meanwhile, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Dr Mutiu Agboke, reassured stakeholders of the Commission’s commitment to transparency, professionalism, and the conduct of credible elections in line with democratic standards.

INEC urged political parties and the public to continue to support the Commission in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities.