The All Progressives Congress (APC) legal team in Osun State has disowned a petition reportedly filed to challenge Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15 governorship election, creating a fresh twist in the dispute over the poll.
One of the senior lawyers on the APC legal team, Adekunle Adegoke, SAN, said the party and its candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, did not authorise the petition listed before the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
Adegoke said the legal team had instead advised Oyebamiji and the party leadership not to challenge the election, arguing that avoiding further litigation would help reduce political tension and allow peace to prevail in the state.
Why APC Lawyers Chose Not to Go to Tribunal
Speaking in a telephone interview, Adegoke said the APC legal team reviewed the election and identified grounds that could potentially support a legal challenge.
He explained, however, that the lawyers ultimately recommended against filing a petition after consultations with Oyebamiji and other party leaders.
According to him, the decision was taken from the second day after the election, following the announcement of the results on August 16.
Adegoke said the team, which includes several Senior Advocates of Nigeria and other legal practitioners and academics, did not want the APC to be perceived as a party interested in litigation simply for the sake of prolonging political tension.
“There are valid grounds to challenge the result of the election, and we decided to let the populace rest,” Adegoke said.
He stressed that the decision not to approach the tribunal should not be interpreted as an endorsement of every aspect of the election process.
“It’s not like maybe the election was free; it doesn’t mean there were no malpractices,” he said, explaining that the legal team nevertheless believed there was a stronger case for allowing the state to move forward.
Oyebamiji Congratulated Adeleke
Adegoke also pointed to Oyebamiji’s decision to congratulate Adeleke after the election as evidence of the position reached by the candidate and his legal advisers.
He said Oyebamiji voluntarily accepted the advice of the legal team and congratulated the governor after consultations.
“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 position is significant because the APC had initially rejected the election result and said it was reviewing election materials before deciding whether to pursue legal action. The Bureau Journal previously reported the APC’s initial rejection of Adeleke’s victory and its decision to audit election documents from polling units.
INEC subsequently declared Adeleke the winner after he polled 511,067 votes against Oyebamiji’s 444,815 votes. The Bureau Journal reported the official declaration and the results of the Osun governorship election.
Legal Team Denounces Petition
Adegoke went further to explicitly reject the petition attributed to the APC and Oyebamiji.
He said the APC legal team had not authorised the document and described those responsible for the filing as individuals who were presenting themselves as lawyers acting for the party.
“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.
The statement raises an important question over the origin and authority of the petition, particularly because the tribunal notice reportedly identifies Oyebamiji and the APC as the petitioners.
Tribunal Notice Lists APC and Oyebamiji
Earlier, notices displayed at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo indicated that two petitions had been filed in connection with the August 15 election.
The first petition, numbered EPT/Os/Gov/01/2026, lists Oyebamiji and the APC as petitioners, while Ademola Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are listed as respondents.
A second petition, numbered EPT/Os/Gov/02/2026, lists the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the petitioner, with INEC, the Accord Party and Adeleke as respondents.
The notices were signed by the Tribunal Secretary, Belemo Diete-Spiff, according to reports.
The conflicting positions now place the focus on the legal status of the first petition. While the tribunal notice reportedly identifies APC and Oyebamiji as petitioners, the party’s legal team says neither the party nor its candidate authorised the filing.
What Happens Next?
The dispute could require clarification from the tribunal and the parties named in the petition, particularly if proceedings begin on the basis of a filing that the APC legal team says was not authorised.
The situation also illustrates why election disputes in Nigeria can extend beyond the declaration of results, with political parties and candidates able to pursue defined legal avenues where they believe electoral processes have been breached.
With Nigeria already moving into an increasingly active 2027 political cycle, questions surrounding election petitions, party authority and electoral dispute resolution are likely to remain important. The Bureau Journal’s guide to the 2027 elections and electoral reforms examines some of the rules and changes affecting Nigeria’s electoral system.
The development also comes as parties continue to deal with internal disputes over candidate selection. The APC, for instance, has faced disagreements surrounding its 2027 primaries, with governors and party stakeholders lobbying over the final list of candidates.
In another recent development, APC members have continued to await the party’s final senatorial candidates list following the conclusion of several primaries.
The party’s internal political dynamics have also produced individual disputes over nomination outcomes. The Bureau Journal recently reported the dispute surrounding Senator Isah Jibrin Echocho’s return bid in Kogi East, highlighting the wider political and legal tensions that can follow party primaries.
For Osun, however, the immediate issue is whether the petition displayed before the tribunal will proceed despite the APC legal team’s claim that it was never authorised.
Until that question is resolved, the contradiction between the tribunal notice and the APC legal team’s position remains the central development in the latest chapter of the dispute over the Osun governorship election.
The Bureau Journal will continue to monitor the tribunal proceedings and any clarification from the APC, Oyebamiji or other parties involved.
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