Osun APC Disowns Unauthorised' Tribunal Challenging Adeleke's Guber Victory

The legal team of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has disowned a petition purportedly filed by the party and its governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, challenging Governor Ademola Adeleke's victory in the August 15 governorship election. Adekunle Adegoke (SAN), one of the leaders of the APC legal team, said the petition was not authorised by either the party or its candidate, accusing those behind the filing of 'masquerading as APC lawyers.' Adegoke said Oyebamiji and other party leaders were consulted after the election and agreed with the legal team's recommendation not to approach the tribunal, despite the lawyers identifying grounds upon which the result could have been challenged. The controversy followed the display of a petition at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo, listing Oyebamiji and the APC as petitioners against Adeleke September 07, (THEWILL) — The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has disowned a petition purportedly filed by its governorship candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, and the party against the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke in the August 15 governorship election, insisting that the legal action was never authorised by either the candidate or the party. The development has triggered a fresh controversy over the post-election process in Osun State, coming after the APC candidate had congratulated Adeleke and the party's legal team had resolved not to challenge the election result in court. One of the leaders of the APC legal team, Adekunle Adegoke (SAN), said on Monday that the recognised legal team had examined the election and identified grounds that could potentially have supported an election petition. He said the team, however, deliberately advised the party and its candidate against litigation in the interest of peace and to prevent the election from becoming another prolonged source of political tension in the state. Adegoke said the legal team met Oyebamiji and other party leaders shortly after the result was announced and explained its findings and recommendation. According to him, the decision not to proceed to the tribunal was therefore not an admission that the election was completely free of irregularities. He said the lawyers were conscious of what they believed were areas of the election that could be challenged but decided that the interest of the people would be better served by allowing the state to move forward. 'It's not like maybe the election was free; it doesn't mean there were no malpractices. There are valid grounds to challenge the result of the election, and we decided to let the populace rest,' Adegoke said. The senior lawyer said the APC wanted to demonstrate that it was not merely interested in election litigation or in creating political 'brouhaha' after every election. He explained that the party had no personal dispute with Adeleke or members of the Peoples Democratic Party, Accord or other political parties, stressing that its decision was based on principle and the broader interest of Osun State. 'Oyebamiji Could Not Have Authorised Petition' Adegoke said Oyebamiji accepted the legal team's recommendation and subsequently congratulated Adeleke. He argued that it would therefore be inconsistent for the APC candidate, having willingly accepted the result and congratulated the governor, to secretly authorise a petition challenging the same election. He said the decision was reached without pressure or duress after the candidate had been properly briefed on the legal team's assessment. '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. Adegoke consequently declared that the APC legal team had rejected the documents now circulating as an election petition filed on behalf of the party. He accused the lawyers responsible for the filing of presenting themselves as representatives of the APC despite not having the party's authorisation. '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. Tribunal Notice Lists APC, Candidate as Petitioners The controversy followed the display on Monday of notices relating to two petitions at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, situated at the premises of the State High Court in Osogbo. The notices were signed by the Tribunal Secretary, Belemo Diete-Spiff. In the first petition, numbered EPT/Os/Gov/01/2026, Oyebamiji and the APC were listed as the petitioners. The respondents are Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The tribunal notice therefore directly conflicts with the position of the APC legal team, which says neither the party nor its candidate authorised the filing. The second petition, numbered EPT/Os/Gov/02/2026, lists the Peoples Democratic Party as the petitioner, while INEC, the Accord Party and Adeleke are named as respondents. The emergence of the second petition has also generated questions because the PDP did not field a candidate in the August 15 governorship election. APC Legal Team Says It Chose Peace Over Litigation Explaining the circumstances surrounding the decision not to challenge the poll, Adegoke said the APC legal team had been in existence for more than seven years and possessed considerable experience in election litigation. He said the team was led by four Senior Advocates of Nigeria — Biodun Layoonu, Yomi Aliyu, Kunle Adegoke and Muritala Abdulrasheed — with other legal practitioners and professors of law also involved. Adegoke said the lawyers knew how to identify irregularities capable of forming the basis of an election petition. But after examining the election, the team concluded that taking the matter to court could further inflame political tensions. He said the decision was communicated to Oyebamiji and other party leaders and was accepted. According to him, the candidate subsequently congratulated Adeleke because the APC had decided that the state should be allowed to move forward rather than remain locked in another post-election legal battle. Adegoke said the decision was intended to show that the APC was capable of exercising restraint even when it believed it had grounds to challenge an election. He said the party was not interested in being perceived as 'termagants' or as a political organisation that automatically resorts to litigation whenever it loses an election.