The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has distanced itself from a purportedly filed petition filed on its behalf against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and two others before the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo, challenging the result of the Osun State Governorship Election conducted on the 15th of August, 2026.
According to a disclaimer issued by the Party on Wednesday, the alleged petition did not emanate from its quarters.
The denials came after separate petitions purportedly filed by the APC and PDP were displayed on the notice board of the Osun State governorship election petition tribunal in Osogbo on Monday.
The first petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, lists Bola Oyebamiji and the APC as petitioners, while Adeleke, Accord and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are respondents.
The second petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, lists Adedamola as the petitioner, with INEC, Accord and Adeleke as respondents.
However, a statement signed by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Jungudo Mohammed, on Wednesday, stated “CATEGORICALLY and UNEQUIVOCALLY that it did not authorise, institute, sponsor, or endorse the said petition.
“As a matter of law and established practice, the institution of legal proceedings in the name of, or on behalf of, the Peoples Democratic Party is a matter within the authority vested in the National Legal Adviser of the Party, subject to the Party’s Constitution and applicable law.
“Prior to this, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) issued a public notice, duly signed by its then National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, and published in THISDAY Newspaper on January 17, 2023, affirming that, under Article 42 of the Party’s Constitution (as amended in 2017), the National Legal Adviser holds the exclusive authority to conduct, prosecute, and defend legal matters on behalf of the Party, its organs, and its officials. That notice remains active and unrevoked”, the statement noted.
The Party, however, noted that pursuant to the above provision, the engagement of any legal counsel to initiate or defend proceedings on behalf of the PDP must be authorised in writing and duly signed by the National Legal Adviser.
“This position is supported by a plethora of judicial decisions recognising the importance of proper authority and locus in proceedings purportedly instituted on behalf of a political party.
“We therefore wish to place it on record that the purported petition in question does not have the blessing, approval, support, or authority of the National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party.
“The Party is bold to state emphatically that the action of Ochai Jacob Otokpa, Esq., in using the name of the Peoples Democratic Party to file Election Petition No. EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026 remains unauthorised, misleading, and without the prior knowledge of the Party.
“The National Legal Adviser of the PDP, A.K. Ajibade, SAN, neither authorised nor issued a letter of instruction to Ochai Jacob Otokpa, Esq., to file Petition No. EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, as mandated by Article 42 of the PDP Constitution.
“Consequently, the PDP does not recognise the purported petition as a proceeding instituted by or on behalf of the Party, and no person should rely upon it as representing the official position of the PDP”.
The Party also noted that its candidate in the 2026 Osun governorship poll, Adebayo Adedamola, had already denied filing a petition challenging Adeleke’s victory.
“It may interest the general public to know that, while speaking on TVC News on September 7, 2026, Mr. Adebayo Adedamola (“Fryo”), the purported Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election, explicitly distanced himself from Petition No. EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026.
“He clarified that he never instructed or retained any lawyer to file any petition challenging the outcome of the election on his behalf or on behalf of the Party.
“Mr. Adedamola stated unequivocally that he has no basis to dispute the result, confirming that he personally voted in the August 15, 2026, election for the declared winner, Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke.
“The general public, the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, INEC, the Accord Party, Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, and all security agencies are urged to note that the PDP completely disassociates itself from Election Petition No. EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026”, the statement said.
The statement added that the Party’s Legal Department is taking immediate steps to formally withdraw its name from the unauthorised suit.
The Party further urges the appropriate authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the purported petition, saying any of its members found behind such petition should be arrested and prosecuted.
“Any person found to have impersonated the Peoples Democratic Party, its officials, National Legal Adviser, counsel, or any authorised representative of the Party, or to have fraudulently presented any document as having been issued or authorised by the Party, should be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
“The PDP will not permit its name, identity, or legal personality to be misused by individuals for purposes contrary to the official position of the Party.”
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