Osun Election: Adegoke Explains Why Petitions Were Withdrawn

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kunle Adegoke, has said the decision to withdraw petitions challenging the outcome of the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election was aimed at preserving peace, reducing political tension and saving public funds.

Adegoke said prolonged election litigation could plunge the state into uncertainty, distract the government from governance and heighten tension among supporters of rival political parties.

The SAN spoke on Thursday while featuring on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, Ogun State, where he discussed the implications of the withdrawal of petitions challenging the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke in the election.

According to him, taking an election dispute to the tribunal often places the entire state under tension because both the government and citizens are forced to wait for the outcome of the judicial process.

“When you go to the tribunal to challenge the result of an election, the entire state will be on the edge. You will discover that everybody, not only the elected governor or whomsoever, will be so shifty in terms of performance and what have you, because it doesn’t allow such an elected person to concentrate on the business of governance,” he said.

Adegoke also expressed concern that prolonged election disputes could create an atmosphere in which political supporters become anxious and violent elements exploit existing divisions.

“The same thing happens to the mass of the people who participated in the election. Everybody will be eager, will be pensive, expecting what will be the outcome of the tribunal. And you discover that violent elements will take that opportunity to be attacking one another, killing people, maiming,” he said.

The legal practitioner recalled previous election disputes in Osun State, saying the prolonged litigation of the past was accompanied by violence, loss of lives and destruction of property.

“For the three and a half years that we were at the tribunal, people were being killed, people were being maimed, properties were being destroyed,” Adegoke said.

He maintained that the consequences of political violence were usually borne by ordinary citizens who had little or nothing to do with the disputes between political actors.

“The people that are being killed, the majority of them are poor people. So who did not have any grievance against one another until this political something came up?” he queried.

Adegoke further argued that prolonged election litigation imposes financial obligations on government, noting that maintaining the tribunal and supporting the judicial process would require public resources.

“Rather than even using taxpayers’ money, because for the tribunal to be maintained, for the process to go smoothly and what have you, it costs the government a lot of money. So we can avoid all this. You know, the economy has not been good enough,” he said.

While acknowledging that politicians have the right to pursue their interests through lawful means, the SAN said political actors must also consider the broader interest of the people when deciding whether to continue an electoral dispute.

“We are fighters, and that is what we very enjoy also, when it is based on principles, when it is based on integrity and the protection of the interest of the masses, which is number one to us,” he said.

He, however, said the circumstances surrounding the Osun election made it necessary to prioritise peace and stability over prolonged litigation.

“But in this instance, we believe that in the interest of the masses, the polity will be better protected by us allowing this particular instance to just go by,” Adegoke added.