Fresh controversy has emerged over petitions against Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15 governorship election.
The APC legal team in Osun State has denied authorising any case against the governor. Adebayo Adedamola, the PDP governorship candidate, has also rejected claims that he filed a petition.
The denials came after two petitions appeared on the notice board of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo on Monday, September 7.
Two Petitions Appear Before Tribunal
The first petition carries the number EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026. It names Bola Oyebamiji and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as petitioners.
The petition lists Adeleke, Accord and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as respondents.
The second case carries the number EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026. It names Adebayo Adedamola as the petitioner.
INEC, Accord and Adeleke appear as respondents in the second petition.
Pefe Belemore, the tribunal secretary, confirmed that petitions challenging the August 15 election result had reached the tribunal.
However, both alleged petitioners have now denied authorising the cases.
APC Lawyers Reject Petition
Adekunle Adegoke, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), leads part of the APC legal team. He said the lawyers advised Bola Oyebamiji against challenging the election result.
Adegoke said four SANs formed the legal team. They included Dr Biodun Layoonu, Dr Yomi Aliyu, Kunle Adegoke and Dr Muritala Abdulrasheed.
According to him, the lawyers met Oyebamiji and other APC leaders after the results came out. They decided that litigation would not serve the best interests of Osun State.
Adegoke said the team had no personal issues with Adeleke or members of other political parties.
He also said the lawyers knew there were grounds that could support an election challenge. However, they chose not to pursue the matter.
The APC candidate later congratulated Adeleke. Adegoke said that decision matched the legal team’s earlier advice.
He questioned why Oyebamiji would authorise a petition after publicly accepting the election result.
Adegoke also distanced the APC legal team from the documents displayed at the tribunal.
He accused some individuals of posing as APC lawyers and said the party did not authorise the petition.
PDP Candidate Denies Filing Case
Adedamola has also denied filing any petition against Adeleke.
Speaking to TVC on Monday, September 7, he said neither he nor his lawyer started any legal action against the governor.
The PDP candidate questioned how the petition came before the tribunal.
He also pointed to his public support for Adeleke before the election. Adedamola recalled that the PDP held a press conference on August 13 to announce its support for the governor.
He added that he personally voted for Adeleke during the election.
“There’s no petition filed by me or my counsel,” Adedamola said.
He also stated that no PDP leader had informed him about any decision to challenge the election result.
Adeleke Won August 15 Election
Adeleke won the August 15 Osun governorship election with 511,067 votes.
The conflicting claims have now raised questions about the origin of the two petitions before the election tribunal.
Both the APC legal team and Adedamola maintain that they did not authorise the cases. The tribunal will determine the status of the petitions and the parties responsible for filing them.
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