THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has filed a notice of withdrawal before the Election Petition Tribunal against its controversial petition challenging the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
News Point Nigeria reports that the development came barely a day after the tribunal pasted a notice displaying two petitions purportedly filed by the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging Adeleke’s re-election in the August 15 governorship election. The petitions were dated September 5, 2026.
The notice of withdrawal was filed on Tuesday by legal practitioner, Mr Seyi Oyagbile, following the controversy and outrage that trailed the petition. Oyagbile had earlier admitted filing the petition on the instruction of the deputy governorship candidate, Engr. Benjamin Adereti, who, he said, signed the document before the tribunal.
The petitions had been pasted on the notice board of the tribunal secretariat in Osogbo on Monday, formally commencing the process of hearing disputes arising from the August 15 governorship election in the state. The development followed confirmation by the tribunal that petitions challenging the outcome of the election had been filed.
However, the APC subsequently disowned the petition, with members of its legal team disclosing that neither the party’s candidate nor its leadership sanctioned the filing.
A senior member of the legal team, Dr Abiodun Layonu, SAN, in a statement, said the petition did not emanate from the team and was not authorised by the party leadership, while the APC campaign spokesperson, Remi Omowaye, also urged the public to disregard the document before the tribunal. The APC campaign council had similarly maintained that neither the party nor its governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, filed any petition challenging the election.
However, Oyagbile admitted to filing the petition on the instruction of the deputy governorship candidate, Engr. Benjamin Adereti, who, he said, signed the document before the tribunal.
Following the outrage that trailed the petition and the conflicting positions within the party, Oyagbile on Tuesday filed a notice of motion to withdraw the petition. Reports on Tuesday confirmed that the APC had withdrawn the controversial suit barely 24 hours after it was displayed by the tribunal.
The application’s copy, which Vanguard obtained, is dated September 8, 2026, and was also stamped and received by the tribunal secretariat on the same date.
The document, which listed Governor Ademola Adeleke, Accord and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as respondents, has Mr Bola Oyebamiji and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as petitioners.
The notice reads partly:
“NOTICE OF MOTION TO WITHDRAW PETITION
“TAKE NOTICE that this Honourable Tribunal/Court will be moved on……….the…………… day of…..20… at the hour of 9 o’clock in the forenoon or so soon thereafter as the Petitioner or Counsel on his behalf can be heard praying the Tribunal/Court for an order enabling the Petitioner to withdraw the above petition on the following ground (s):
“DECISION OF PETITIONER
“Dated….this 8th day of September 2026.”
The withdrawal effectively brings the controversial APC petition against Adeleke’s re-election to an end, after the party’s legal team had publicly denied authorising the challenge.