PDP gov primaries: Adebutu, Lamido, Aondoakaa emerge

The Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday conducted its governorship primaries to elect flagbearers across several states ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Chief among those who emerged were former federal lawmaker representing Remo Federal Constituency and its candidate in the 2023 election, Oladipupo Adebutu, as the candidate for Ogun State.

Similarly, in Katsina State, the PDP declared Senator Yakubu Lado as its governorship candidate after he secured 77,013 votes in a peaceful primary, while in Jigawa State, Mustapha Sule Lamido, son of the former governor, Sule Lamido, was affirmed unopposed as the party’s flagbearer at a delegates’ congress in Dutse.

In Adamawa State, Maurice Vunobolki emerged as the PDP governorship candidate, while in Lagos State, former party chairman, Adedeji Doherty, was affirmed as the consensus candidate.

In Benue State, the party’s candidate and former Attorney General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), unveiled Dr Oyije Ogbenjuwa as his running mate, pledging to prioritise security and youth inclusion if elected.

Meanwhile, in Gombe State, tension trailed the PDP primaries as governorship aspirants rejected an alleged attempt to include former APC aspirant, Prof Isa Pantami, in the party’s ongoing selection process, warning against actions capable of triggering legal disputes.

Adebutu’s emergence at the venue of the primaries in Abeokuta came through voice affirmation by the party members who came from the 20 local government areas and 236 wards.

The event was witnessed by officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The Chairman of the PDP governorship primaries for the state, Afolabi Ariyo, led the party members in a voice vote affirming Adebutu as the consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

With his emergence, he will face the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Solomon Adeola, popularly called Yayi, in the election in 2027.

In his acceptance speech, Adebutu hailed party members for the large turnout and support, urging them to remain unwavering as the party remained determined to send the APC packing from the state in 2027.

He explained that though he was denied governorship in 2023 through what he called manipulation, he had the assurance that the people’s vote would be allowed to count in 2027.

Speaking earlier, the state chairman of the party, Abayomi Tella, said the large turnout of party members for the exercise further confirmed that the opposition party was not dead in the state.

Tella urged the party members to remain united and work for the victory of the party ahead of the 2027 election.

Also speaking at the event, former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, described Adebutu as a political leader who has all it takes to take the state to greater heights.

He called on party members to stay united and work together for  the victory of the party in 2027.

In Katsina State, Lado was declared the winner of the governorship primaries.

Chairman of the PDP governorship primary election committee, Nuradeen Sani, announced the result on Sunday, saying the process was conducted in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Declaring the outcome, Sani said the exercise was peaceful and transparent.

“Being the chairman of the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), together with my committee members, and having followed the Electoral Act in conducting the primary election of the PDP for Katsina State, I hereby announce the result.

“The total number of 78,085 was accredited, while a total of 77,013 votes were cast in favour of Senator Yakubu Lado, as 72 delegates came in behind and could not vote.

“Lado, having scored the majority of votes cast, is hereby declared the winner of the consensus primary election today, Sunday, 24th May, 2026,” he declared.

With his emergence, Lado will face the incumbent governor and candidate of the APC in the election, Dikko Radda.

In Jigawa, thousands of PDP members affirmed Mustapha Sule Lamido as the party’s governorship candidate.

The exercise drew members and supporters from the state’s 287 wards to the state capital.

In his acceptance speech delivered shortly after the affirmation, Lamido, who also flew the PDP flag in 2023, said: “I stand before you today with a heart full of gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility.”

He said he humbly accepted the mandate as the flagbearer of the PDP for the 2027 elections.

Lamido recalled that in 2023, the people entrusted him with the same responsibility, and they ran a campaign rooted in unity, hope, reform, and the promise of a better Jigawa.

“Though we did not secure victory then, we earned the confidence of hundreds of thousands of our people and laid a strong foundation,” he stated.

He said the party was back in the race because the problems bedevilling the state were still present, including unprecedented hardship, bad governance, and insensitive leadership.

“We are here to rebuild Jigawa into a state that works for all, where leadership is accountable, resources are managed responsibly, and opportunities are accessible to every citizen,” he said.

He, however, stressed that he accepted the candidacy not as a personal ambition but as a collective mission to rescue, rebuild, and reposition the state for sustainable progress.

Lamido will face the governor, Umar Namadi, in the February 6, 2027, election.

In Adamawa State, the party affirmed Maurice Vunobolki as the candidate, while ex-PDP chairman in Lagos State, Adedeji Doherty, emerged the Lagos PDP governorship consensus candidate.

Doherty will contest the 2027 election with the incumbent Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, flying the flag of the APC, alongside the candidates of the African Democratic Congress and the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

Doherty’s emergence followed his adoption by delegates and stakeholders during the party’s primaries held in Ikeja.

Doherty, who currently serves as the South-West Zonal Chairman of a faction of the PDP aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was unanimously endorsed by party delegates drawn from the 20 local government areas of Lagos State.

Announcing the outcome of the exercise, the Chairman of the PDP governorship primary electoral committee in Lagos State, Mr Olalekan Rotimi, said the party adopted the consensus option in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

Rotimi said the process reflected the collective decision of party leaders and stakeholders across the state.

“In accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, which grants political parties the option of selecting candidates either through direct election or consensus, the Lagos State PDP family has today unanimously adopted and endorsed Mr Adedeji Doherty as the sole governorship candidate of our party for the 2027 Lagos State governorship election,” he said.

In his acceptance speech, Doherty pledged to pursue inclusive governance and promised to build what he described as a prosperous Lagos that works for all residents, irrespective of political, ethnic or social background.

Also on Sunday, a former deputy governor of Oyo State, Hazeem Gbolarumi, emerged as the PDP governorship candidate.

He polled 3,615 votes to defeat his main challenger in the election, Beulah Adeoye, who polled 22.

Adeoye had dumped the Governor Seyi Makinde camp of the PDP for the Wike camp after the governor joined the Allied People’s Movement for his presidential declaration, alongside other loyalists.

In Benue State, Aondoakaa (SAN) picked a 38-year-old Dr Ogbenjuwa as his running mate.

Unveiling his choice of running mate at the party’s congress held in Makurdi on Sunday, Aondoakaa said the nomination was to show that the party is youth-friendly, while he promised that his immediate priority if given the mandate in 2027 is to stop all attacks and bloodshed in Benue communities.

He called on every member of the party to close ranks and work together as one united family.

Aspirants of the party in Gombe State, however, rejected attempts to “smuggle” Pantami into the primaries.

In a communiqué issued on Sunday, the aspirants said Pantami, who participated in the APC governorship primaries held on May 21, 2026, could not lawfully defect to the PDP and seek to participate in another governorship primary for the same election cycle.

The communiqué was jointly signed by Alhaji Abdulkadir-Hamma Saleh, Khamisu-Ahmed Mailantarki, Usman-Aliyu Garry, and Monica Kaltho.

Recall that Pantam withdrew from the APC governorship primaries, having alleged irregularities as the basis for his decision.

The aspirants, in their release on Sunday, said in the interest of party unity and cohesion, they had unanimously agreed to allow the leadership of the PDP in Gombe State to pick from among them to be the party’s flagbearer.

According to them, the agreement was reached “in respect and deference to the leadership of our great party,” particularly the leader of the PDP in the state, Ibrahim Dankwambo, alongside the state executive committee, the 11 local government chairmen, and the elders committee.

The communiqué stated that the aspirants had already signed a written undertaking committing themselves to abide by the decision of the party leadership.

“We, therefore, condemn in the strongest terms the alleged attempt to smuggle into the PDP primaries an aspirant who, by law and established democratic principles, is ineligible to participate, having already contested in the APC governorship primaries held on 21st May, 2026,” the statement read.