APC files formal notice to withdraw Osun election petition

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo – The All Progressives Congress (APC), Osun State chapter, has formally filed a notice to withdraw its petition challenging the outcome of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state. A Notice of Motion to Withdraw Petition was received by the Secretary of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Belemo Diete-Spiff, on Tuesday. The notice seeks an order of the tribunal permitting the petitioners to withdraw the petition. The motion was filed pursuant to Sections 134, 137, 138, 139, 140 and 149 of the Electoral Act, 2026, and the First Schedule to the Act. It would be recalled that the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenged the outcome of the election through petitions with suit numbers EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026 and EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, respectively, filed on Saturday. The APC petition was filed by its counsel, Barrister Oluseyi Oyagbile, and submitted at the tribunal in the company of the party's deputy governorship candidate, Engr. Kayode Adereti, who signed on behalf of Bola Oyebamiji, alongside other party leaders. However, the APC legal team, led by Abiodun Layonu, SAN, dismissed the petition, insisting that the party was not challenging the outcome of the election. Speaking on the development, Oyagbile confirmed that he had withdrawn the petition filed on behalf of the party. 'My client and leaders of APC reached out to me this morning to withdraw the petition I filed on their behalf. I have withdrawn the petition. Before I did so, I made them send WhatsApp messages to me giving the instruction so that it will not be a matter of controversy again,' he said.