Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
A mild drama, yesterday, enveloped Osun State following the appearance of two petitions at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) denying knowledge of, or responsibility for, the legal actions purportedly instituted in the names of their candidates.
This development has generated considerable confusion within the state’s political circles, particularly because one of the petitions was said to have been filed in the names of the APC and its governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, while the second was purportedly filed by the PDP governorship candidate, Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola, popularly known as Fryo.
Both political actors, however, have now publicly disowned the petitions.
The controversy started after the tribunal secretariat in Osogbo displayed two petitions dated September 5, 2026, arising from the August 15 governorship election.
The appearance of the documents initially suggested that the APC and its candidate had commenced legal proceedings to challenge the declaration of Governor Ademola Adeleke as winner of the election.
But what appeared to be a straightforward post-election legal challenge quickly turned into a political mystery when lawyers representing the APC came out to deny filing the petition.
The first petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, bore the names of Oyebamiji and the APC as petitioners, while Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were listed as respondents.
Ordinarily, the appearance of such a petition would have been interpreted as confirmation that the APC had decided to contest the outcome of the election through the judicial process.
However, members of the party’s legal team immediately raised questions about the document, insisting that it was not authorised by the party leadership or the APC governorship candidate.
Also, a member of the APC legal team, Muideen Adeoye, said categorically that neither the party nor Oyebamiji had filed any petition challenging the election result, adding that the APC legal team had already reached an understanding with the party leadership that the election would not be challenged at the tribunal.
“I am telling you authoritatively that we did not file any petition, either for the candidate or the party,” he said.
The controversy was subsequently reinforced by another senior member of the APC legal team, Chief Abiodun Layonu, SAN, who also disowned the petition.
In a statement titled: “Re: APC Challenge Gubernatorial Election at Tribunal,” Layonu said the APC candidate, the party and the legal team were shocked to discover documents purporting to challenge Adeleke’s victory on their behalf.
He said the documents did not have the authorisation of either Oyebamiji or the APC.
“The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) legal team has been drawn to a bundle of papers purportedly referred to as Election Petition purportedly filed on behalf of Bola Oyebamiji and APC,” he stated.
The controversy assumed another dimension when the Osun State APC Governorship Campaign Council also publicly rejected reports that the party and Oyebamiji had filed a petition against the outcome of the election.
The Campaign Council has therefore described the reports as false and mischievous, insisting that neither the APC nor its candidate had authorised any legal challenge before the tribunal.
The position was contained in a statement issued by the Head of Media and Publicity of the Osun APC Governorship Campaign Council, Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye, and made available to journalists on Tuesday.
The second petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, was purportedly filed by Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola, popularly known as Fryo, against Adeleke, INEC and the Accord Party.
But Adedamola, who emerged as the PDP governorship candidate ahead of the election, also denied filing or authorising the petition.
Speaking on TVC News, Adedamola said he was unaware of the document and could not understand how a petition bearing his name had found its way to the tribunal.
“I don’t know where they manufacture the petition they submitted at the Tribunal to challenge the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke. I have not been briefed by anybody. I want people to disregard it.
“I am not filing any petition against Governor Ademola Adeleke,” he declared.