Osun APC Seeks Tribunal’s Nod To Withdraw Petition Against Adeleke’s Victory

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has moved to withdraw its petition challenging the re-election of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, barely days after the case was filed before the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo.

A Notice of Motion to Withdraw Petition dated September 8, 2026, was filed in respect of the suit brought by the APC and its governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, against Governor Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The notice, filed pursuant to the Electoral Act, 2026, seeks an order of the tribunal permitting the petitioners to withdraw the election petition challenging the outcome of the August 15, 2026 governorship election in Osun State.

The move came amid a brewing controversy within the APC over the authenticity and authorisation of the petition, with different legal representatives giving conflicting accounts of whether the party had approved the legal challenge.

New Telegraph reports that the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had separately filed petitions before the tribunal challenging the outcome of the August 15 governorship election.

The APC petition, identified as Suit No. EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, was filed by Barrister Oluseyi Oyagbile, who had earlier maintained that he acted on the instructions of the party and its leaders.

Oyagbile had said the petition was signed by the APC deputy governorship candidate, Engr. Kayode Adereti, on behalf of the party’s governorship candidate, Oyebamiji, in the presence of other party leaders and executives.

However, the petition subsequently became the subject of controversy after another APC legal team led by Abiodun Layonu, SAN, reportedly disowned the case, insisting that the party had not authorised any petition challenging Adeleke’s victory.

Against the backdrop of the conflicting positions, Oyagbile confirmed on Tuesday that he had received fresh instructions from his client and APC leaders to withdraw the petition.

“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 I have withdrawn the petition,” he said.

The lawyer explained that he demanded that the instruction be communicated to him in writing before proceeding with the withdrawal, apparently to avoid another dispute over the authority behind the petition.

“Before I do so, I made them send WhatsApp messages to me giving the instruction so that it will not be a matter of controversy again,” Oyagbile added.

Despite the decision to withdraw the case, Oyagbile maintained his earlier position that the petition was validly filed, insisting that Adereti personally participated in the filing process at the tribunal alongside other APC leaders.

The Notice of Motion now formally puts the withdrawal before the tribunal for consideration, with the petitioners seeking an order allowing them to discontinue the case.

The development is expected to significantly alter the legal contest over the August 15 governorship election, leaving the PDP’s separate petition as the other major challenge before the tribunal.