Osun APC lawyers disown a petition challenging Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory, saying Bola Oyebamiji and the party did not authorise the case
The All Progressives Congress (APC) legal team in Osun State has disowned a petition challenging Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15, 2026 governorship election, saying neither the party nor its candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, authorised the case before the Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo.
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Senior lawyer Adekunle Adegoke disclosed the position on Monday, September 7, 2026, saying the legal team had advised Oyebamiji against challenging the election result after reviewing the circumstances surrounding the poll.
Adegoke said the lawyers met Oyebamiji and other APC leaders shortly after the election to assess the available legal options.
According to him, the team deliberately decided against filing a petition, partly to reduce political tension and allow peace to prevail in the state.
“Right from the second day after the election, the legal team, led by about four Senior Advocates of Nigeria, advised our client that, in the circumstances, the best course of action was not to go to the tribunal,” Adegoke said.
The lawyer explained that the decision should not be interpreted as an assertion that the election was completely free of irregularities.
“It is not that the election was entirely free or that there were no malpractices. There may have been valid grounds to challenge the result, but we decided to allow the populace to rest,” he said.
Adegoke said the APC legal team had considerable experience in election litigation and was capable of identifying potential grounds for challenging an election.
He noted that the team had operated for more than seven years and had handled several election-related matters.
The lawyer also pointed to Oyebamiji’s decision to congratulate Adeleke after the election as further evidence that the APC candidate had no intention of pursuing a tribunal challenge.
“Our client willingly, without pressure or duress, congratulated Governor Adeleke,” Adegoke said.
He questioned whether it would therefore be legitimate for Oyebamiji to subsequently authorise another person to file a petition on his behalf.
The senior lawyer was particularly critical of the petition displayed at the tribunal, insisting that it did not originate from the APC’s recognised legal team.
“I want it to be on record that the APC legal team has denounced the bundle of papers filed by some individuals masquerading as APC lawyers. It was not authorised by the APC as a party or by its candidate,” he said.
Another APC chieftain, Adebayo Adedamola, also distanced himself from the legal action.
Adedamola said he had no involvement in any petition challenging Adeleke’s victory and maintained that he had already endorsed the governor.
“I am not involved in any petition before the Election Petition Tribunal. I already endorsed Governor Ademola Adeleke as our candidate. So, there is no cause for us to now go and file any petition against the governor,” he said.
The dispute emerged after two petitions were displayed at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo on Monday.
One of the notices, identified as EPT/Os/Gov/01/2026, listed Oyebamiji and the APC as petitioners, while a second petition, EPT/Os/Gov/02/2026, identified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the petitioner.
The development came despite earlier reports that no petition had been received before the constitutional 21-day deadline for filing expired on Saturday.
The conflicting positions have consequently raised questions over the authenticity and authority behind the APC-related petition.
Adegoke’s comments, however, make clear that the legal team representing the APC in Osun does not recognise the petition as a case authorised by either the party or its candidate.
The controversy now leaves the tribunal proceedings facing an important preliminary question over who authorised the petition and whether those behind it had the legal standing to institute the challenge.
Also read: 2027: Kebbi ADC Candidate Sues Party, INEC Over Replacement
Meanwhile, Adeleke continues to hold office following the August 15 election, while the latest development adds an unexpected legal twist to the aftermath of the poll.
