A fresh political and legal controversy has erupted in Osun State following the emergence of two petitions at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal challenging Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15, 2026 governorship election.

The development has generated confusion after the All Progressives Congress (APC) legal team and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate whose name appeared on one of the petitions reportedly denied authorising the legal actions.

The petitions were displayed at the tribunal’s secretariat in Osogbo, with one identified as EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026 and the other as EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026.

The first petition lists APC governorship candidate Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji and the APC as petitioners, while Governor Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are listed as respondents.

The second petition reportedly lists Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola and/or the PDP as petitioner, with Adeleke, INEC and Accord also named as respondent.

The appearance of the petitions came shortly after reports that no legal challenge had been filed against Adeleke’s victory within the statutory period for filing election petitions.

The controversy intensified after the APC legal team publicly disowned the petition bearing Oyebamiji’s name.

Speaking on behalf of the legal team, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Adekunle Adegoke said the lawyers had considered the possibility of challenging aspects of the election but ultimately advised against litigation.

According to him, the decision was motivated by the need to avoid further escalation of political tensions in the state.

Adegoke said Oyebamiji had already congratulated Adeleke following the election and that the legal team had therefore resolved not to pursue a tribunal challenge.

He consequently described the document displayed at the tribunal as unauthorised, insisting that neither the APC governorship candidate nor the party’s legal team authorised its filing.

The development has raised questions over the identity of those behind the petition and the circumstances under which a document bearing the name of the APC candidate came to be displayed at the tribunal.

PDP candidate Adedayo Adedamola whose name reportedly appears on the petition, has denied filing or authorising any legal challenge against Adeleke’s victory.

Adedamola reportedly said he had publicly supported Adeleke before the election and had voted for the Accord Party candidate, making it difficult to reconcile his position with the petition bearing his name.

His denial has further complicated the legal situation surrounding the petitions and raised questions about their origin and validity.

Despite the denials, officials of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal have confirmed that petitions challenging the election were received and subsequently displayed at the tribunal secretariat.

The tribunal secretary, Pefe Belemore, reportedly confirmed the existence of the petitions.

The situation therefore presents a significant legal question: whether the petitions were properly authorised and validly filed by the persons identified as petitioners.

The latest development is particularly significant because Governor Adeleke’s re-election had appeared to have escaped a formal tribunal challenge after the expiration of the statutory filing period.

Adeleke won the August 15 governorship election with 511,067 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes.

The governor subsequently received his Certificate of Return from INEC.

Reports following the expiration of the 21-day period indicated that no petition had been filed challenging the result.

The emergence of the two petitions at the tribunal has therefore introduced a new dimension to what had appeared to be a settled electoral outcome.

With the APC legal team and the PDP candidate distancing themselves from the documents, the immediate legal question may now shift from the substance of the election itself to the validity, authorship and authority behind the petitions.

The tribunal may be required to determine whether the petitions were properly instituted and whether the persons named as petitioners actually authorised the proceedings.

The development could also trigger preliminary legal arguments from the respondents, particularly if the petitions are formally served and proceedings commence.

The controversy comes at a sensitive period in Osun politics, barely weeks after the governorship election.

While election petitions are a normal part of Nigeria’s electoral dispute-resolution process, the conflicting positions of the opposition parties and their candidates have added an unusual twist to the post-election process.

For Governor Adeleke and his administration, the central issue is whether the petitions will ultimately amount to a substantive legal challenge to his re-election or collapse over questions surrounding their authorisation.

For the opposition, the immediate challenge is to clarify who initiated the petitions and whether they represent an official decision of the parties or candidates involved.

As of Tuesday, September 8, the matter remains fluid, with attention now focused on the tribunal and the legal steps that may follow.