The legal team of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun State has disowned a petition purportedly filed on behalf of the party and its governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, challenging the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke in the August 15 governorship election.
One of the leaders of the APC legal team, Adekunle Adegoke, SAN, said the party and its candidate did not authorise the filing of the petition before the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
Adegoke told the Punch on Monday that the legal team met with Oyebamiji and other party leaders shortly after the election results were announced to discuss the next line of action.
He explained that after reviewing the outcome of the election and consulting with the candidate, the legal team advised against challenging the result at the tribunal in order to de-escalate tension and allow peace to prevail in the state.
According to him, the APC legal team, which includes several Senior Advocates of Nigeria and professors of law, had identified areas of the election that could have provided grounds for a legal challenge.
Adegoke, however, said the decision was taken not to pursue the matter at the tribunal, stressing that the legal team did not want the APC to be perceived as a party interested in litigation for its own sake.
He said the team explained its findings to Oyebamiji and made him understand that while there were areas of the election that could be challenged, the interest of peace in Osun State influenced their decision.
Adegoke added that Oyebamiji accepted the advice and subsequently congratulated Adeleke after the election, saying the decision was made voluntarily and without pressure.
He questioned why Oyebamiji would authorise a petition after willingly congratulating Adeleke, describing the purported petition as lacking the substance expected of a legitimate election petition.
Adegoke said the APC legal team had therefore rejected the bundle of documents purportedly filed by individuals claiming to be lawyers acting for the party and its candidate.
He maintained that the petition was neither authorised by the APC nor its governorship candidate and urged the public to disregard it.
In a separate statement signed by another member of the APC legal team, Dr Abiodun Layonu, SAN, the lawyers said their attention had been drawn to a bundle of papers purportedly presented as an election petition challenging Adeleke’s victory.
The legal team said neither Oyebamiji nor the party authorised the filing of the petition and consequently denounced it.
The lawyers urged APC members and members of the public to disregard the purported petition, insisting that it did not emanate from the party’s legal team.
Earlier, the Publication reported that notices of two petitions had been displayed on the notice board of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal at the premises of the State High Court in Osogbo on Monday.
According to the report, the notices were signed by the Tribunal Secretary, Belemo Diete-Spiff.
It was gathered that the first petition, numbered EPT/Os/Gov/01/2026, listed Oyebamiji and the APC as petitioners, while Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission were listed as respondents.
The second petition, numbered EPT/Os/Gov/02/2026, listed the Peoples Democratic Party as the petitioner, while INEC, the Accord Party and Adeleke were named as respondents.
The development has therefore created a dispute over the authenticity and authorisation of the petition purportedly filed in the name of the APC and its governorship candidate.
