The Osun governorship election tribunal is facing an unusual legal situation after both the APC and PDP denied authorising petitions filed in their names over Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15 poll. The APC-linked case is now being withdrawn, following the filing of a notice by lawyer Seyi Oyagbile on 8 September, 2026, in Osogbo.
The development is significant because the tribunal had displayed notices for two petitions on Monday, one naming the APC and its candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, as petitioners and another naming the PDP as petitioner.
Yet, the parties have separately denied authorising either case.
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The dispute, for the APC, has already reached the withdrawal stage. Oyagbile filed a “NOTICE OF MOTION TO WITHDRAW PETITION” at the tribunal office within the Osun State High Court premises in Osogbo.
The document asks the tribunal to permit the petitioner to withdraw the case, giving the ground as “DECISION OF PETITIONER.”
Oyagbile confirmed the filing: “It is true. I have filed a notice to withdraw the petition.”
APC disowns case after tribunal listing
The petition, numbered EPT/Os/Gov/01/2026, was listed as having been filed by Oyebamiji and the APC against Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
But Adekunle Adegoke (SAN), one of the leaders of the APC legal team in Osun, had already said the party’s lawyers did not file any petition on behalf of Oyebamiji or the APC.
Adegoke said the legal team met Oyebamiji and other party leaders shortly after the election results were released.
The meeting was to discuss the next course of action after the poll, he said.
Following consultations, the team decided not to challenge the election result before the tribunal.
Adegoke said the decision was taken to reduce tension and allow peace to reign in the state.
The withdrawal notice filed by Oyagbile now gives the tribunal a formal request to end the case filed in the names of the APC and its candidate.
The situation also affects a second petition displayed by the tribunal.
PDP demands probe into second petition
The second case, numbered EPT/Os/Gov/02/2026, listed the PDP as petitioner and named INEC, Accord and Adeleke as respondents.
The PDP has denied authorising the petition.
Diran Odeyemi, a PDP chieftain in Osun and the party’s National Treasurer, said the party did not engage any lawyer to challenge Adeleke’s re-election.
Odeyemi said the PDP, led by Abdulrahman Mohammed as national chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as national secretary, did not authorise a lawyer to represent it before the tribunal.
He described the filing as an unauthorised act and asked the Nigerian Bar Association and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to investigate those behind it.
“The PDP was embarrassed by the action of those who filed that petition. If any group is claiming to represent the PDP without the knowledge of the group led by Abdulrahman Mohammed as the national chairman and Samuel Anyanwu as the national secretary, the group or individual is an impostor.”
Odeyemi said the party was ready to cooperate with any investigation.
“We are asking the NBA and the LPDC to investigate those who filed a petition without authorisation of our party because the PDP did not engage or authorise anyone to challenge Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election before the tribunal. We had a working relationship with the Accord during the last Osun governorship poll.”
He maintained that investigating the petition was necessary to prevent similar incidents.
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