The legal team of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has disowned a petition challenging the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke in the August 15 governorship election, insisting that neither the party nor its candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, authorised the action.
One of the leaders of the legal team, Adekunle Adegoke (SAN), said the lawyers met with Oyebamiji and other party leaders shortly after the election results were announced to review the outcome and determine the next course of action.
Adegoke said the team subsequently advised the APC and its candidate against approaching the election petition tribunal, citing the need to de-escalate political tension and allow peace to prevail in the state.
He said the legal team, which includes Senior Advocates of Nigeria Dr Biodun Layoonu, Dr Yomi Aliyu, Kunle Adegoke and Dr Muritala Abdulrasheed, as well as other legal experts including Professor Mojeed Alabi, had identified grounds upon which the election could have been challenged.
According to him, however, the team decided that pursuing litigation was not in the best interest of the state at the time.
“It’s not like maybe the election was free; it doesn’t mean there were no malpractices. There are valid grounds to challenge the result of the election, and we decided to let the populace rest,” Adegoke said.
He explained that the decision was also intended to demonstrate that the APC was not interested in unnecessary litigation or actions capable of further heightening tension in Osun.
Adegoke said Oyebamiji accepted the recommendation after the legal team presented its findings and subsequently congratulated Adeleke following the announcement of the result.
He therefore questioned why the APC candidate would later authorise a petition after voluntarily accepting the outcome.
“Our client, having willingly, without pressure, without duress, congratulated Governor Adeleke, do you now think it will be legitimate as a man of honour for Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji to go behind and authorise the filing of a petition?” he asked.
The senior lawyer further dissociated the legal team from the petition reportedly filed in the names of Oyebamiji and the APC.
“I want 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 APC as a party or its candidate,” he said.
However, notices of two petitions challenging the outcome of the August 15 election were displayed on Monday at the notice board of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, located at the premises of the State High Court in Osogbo.
The first petition, numbered EPT/Os/Gov/01/2026, lists Oyebamiji and the APC as petitioners, while Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are named as respondents.
The second petition, numbered EPT/Os/Gov/02/2026, lists the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the petitioner, with INEC, the Accord Party and Senator Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke as respondents.
The notices were signed by the Tribunal Secretary, Belemo Diete-Spiff.
Although 15 political parties fielded candidates in the election, the PDP did not present a candidate for the governorship poll.
The appearance of the petition listing the APC and Oyebamiji as petitioners, despite the legal team’s denial of authorisation, has raised questions over who filed the action and under whose authority it was instituted.
The APC legal team has maintained that its position remains that neither the party nor Oyebamiji authorised the petition challenging Adeleke’s victory.
