Osun Guber Election: APC Files Motion to Withdraw Petition Against Governor Adeleke

Following the confusion that trailed the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke in the August 15 election, the APC has officially filed a motion to withdraw it.

The petition was filed on Monday by the state chapter of the party on behalf of its governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.

KlickNews had earlier reported that the state chapter of the party was reviewing the election and the declared results. Speaking a day after the announcement of the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC stated that it would not be rushed into congratulating Governor Ademola Adeleke because it did not fully agree with the declaration.

Despite the President issuing a congratulatory statement, the party maintained that it does not believe Adeleke scored the highest number of valid votes.

The Director-General of the APC governorship campaign in Osun State, Oluwole Oke, made the claim during an interview on Arise TV. He maintained that the party was still reviewing the records to identify irregularities and, if necessary, would seek legal counsel on the next steps.

Oke insisted that an election is a process that does not necessarily end at the polls, which is why the constitution provides for remedies at the election tribunal, the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court. “What we are doing, even for the future and for the records, is to conduct a thorough review of the entire process and then form our opinion,” Oke stated. He added, “We do not agree with the declaration of INEC. That’s our position for now. We believe he did not score the highest valid votes.”

Petition Submitted, Then Withdrawn

On Monday, September 7, the APC submitted its petition on the final day of the statutory window allowed for filing.

The petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, was filed by Seyi Oyagbile. However, a day later, a motion seeking its withdrawal was received by the Osun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal registry in Osogbo.

The withdrawal follows immediate pushback and confusion within the APC’s national leadership regarding the authorization of the legal challenge.

Prior to the withdrawal motion, the official legal team of the Osun State APC publicly disowned the lawsuit. Speaking on behalf of the party’s legal leadership, Adekunle Adegoke (SAN) insisted that neither the party nor its candidate, Oyebamiji, had authorized or filed any case before the election petition tribunal.

The political atmosphere surrounding the tribunal has been further complicated by similar administrative disputes within the opposition. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also disowned a separate petition purportedly filed on its behalf.
Adebayo Adedamola, the PDP governorship candidate, denied authorizing the filing of the petition during an interview monitored on TVC News on Monday.