Osun guber: APC withdraws petition challenging Gov Adeleke’s victory

The All Progressives Congress, APC, and its governorship candidate in the August 15 Osun State governorship election have moved to withdraw a petition challenging Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory.

Counsel to the APC and its candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, Seyi Oyagbile, filed a motion seeking the withdrawal of the petition before the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Tuesday.

Oyagbile filed the motion, dated September 8, 2026, at the tribunal’s office located within the premises of the Osun State High Court in Osogbo.

The development came shortly after notices of two petitions were displayed on the tribunal’s notice board on Monday.

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According to the notices signed by the Tribunal Secretary, Belemo Diete-Spiff, the first petition was numbered EPT/Os/Gov/01/2026.

The petition listed Oyebamiji and the APC as petitioners, while Adeleke, the Accord and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were named as respondents.

The second petition, numbered EPT/Os/Gov/02/2026, listed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as petitioner, with INEC, the Accord and Governor Ademola Adeleke as respondents.

However, a process stamped by the tribunal secretary indicated that Oyagbile was seeking to withdraw the petition filed on behalf of Oyebamiji and the APC.

The process was titled, “Notice of Motion to Withdraw Petition”, and stated that the petitioner was seeking an order permitting the withdrawal of the petition.

The stated ground for the withdrawal was simply “Decision of Petitioner”, according to the process dated September 8, 2026.

Confirming the development, Oyagbile said he had formally filed the notice to withdraw the petition.

“It is true. I have filed a notice to withdraw the petition,” the lawyer said.

The move followed an earlier position by members of the APC legal team in Osun State, who had disowned the petition challenging Adeleke’s victory.

A leader of the legal team, Adekunle Adegoke, said the team had met Oyebamiji and other party leaders after the election to discuss possible legal action.

According to Adegoke, “The consultations resulted in a decision not to challenge the election outcome at the tribunal. There was a need to de-escalate tension and allow peace to prevail in the state.”

Meanwhile, the PDP has called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee to investigate the separate petition purportedly filed on its behalf, saying it did not authorise any lawyer to represent it.

The party’s National Treasurer and Osun chieftain, Diran Odeyemi, said the PDP, under National Chairman Abdulrahman Mohammed and National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, did not engage any lawyer to challenge the outcome of the governorship election.

Odeyemi alleged that those behind the purported petition were impostors and urged the NBA and LPDC to investigate the matter, saying, “We must not allow impostors to mess up the Nigerian legal system.”

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