Oyo SIEC accepts Wike-backed PDP candidates for December 29 council polls

By Chris Steven

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

The development comes months after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised the Abdulrahman Mohammed-led national working committee (NWC) of the PDP in processes relating to the 2027 general election.

OYSIEC, constituted by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, received the PDP’s list of candidates in a letter dated July 30, 2026, seen by Elendu Reports.

In the letter addressed to the chairman of OYSIEC and signed by Rahman Akinoso, the state PDP chairman, the party notified the commission of its participation in the December 29 local government elections and submitted the list of its nominated candidates.

“Find the attached list of our candidates for the forthcoming Oyo State Local Government election. The primaries to elect the candidates were peacefully conducted in line with rules and regulation guiding the exercise,” the letter reads in part.

The acceptance of the list is being interpreted by political observers as OYSIEC aligning with INEC’s position on the leadership crisis within the PDP.

The development could also mark a shift from the position of the rival PDP faction backed by the Makinde administration and led by Tanimu Turaki.

Political observers said the decision may be linked to recent court judgments that affirmed the legitimacy of the Abdulrahman-led PDP structure and cautioned against disenfranchising political parties ahead of elections.

“With INEC already recognising the Abdulrahman-led NWC in the 2027 process, it would have been untenable for OYSIEC to act differently in a state election,” a party chieftain told our correspondent.

With the receipt of the candidates’ list, the Wike-backed PDP is set to participate in the local government elections across the 33 local government areas of Oyo state.

Efforts to obtain reactions from the Makinde-backed faction and OYSIEC were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

The Oyo state local government election is scheduled to hold on December 29, 2026.