Osun APC tribunal petition claims have sparked confusion after the party’s Governorship Campaign Council denied that its candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, filed a legal challenge against Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15, 2026 governorship election.
The clarification came on Monday, September 7, after reports emerged that petitions connected to the election had been displayed at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo. The development quickly created uncertainty over whether the APC had actually decided to contest the election result in court.
Osun APC Rejects Tribunal Petition Report
The Osun APC Governorship Campaign Council strongly rejected reports that the party had gone to the tribunal to challenge Adeleke’s re-election.
In a statement signed by Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye, Head of Media and Publicity of the campaign council, the APC said neither the party nor its governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, filed a petition challenging the August 15 election.
The council described the reports as false and mischievous and urged the public, party supporters and the media not to rely on unverified information.
It also said the APC and Oyebamiji remained committed to lawful and democratic processes, while calling for peace and stability in Osun State.
The statement is significant because the APC was Adeleke’s main challenger during the election. Any decision to formally contest the result would therefore have major political and legal implications for the governor’s second-term mandate.
What Happened at the Osun Election Tribunal?
The confusion became more serious because reports from the tribunal pointed to a different development.
The Nigerian Democratic Report said the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal confirmed receiving two petitions challenging the election. According to the publication, one was identified as petition EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026 and was filed in the name of APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji.
Another report said the tribunal displayed two petitions on its notice board in Osogbo on Monday. It identified the alleged APC petition as EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026 and said Oyebamiji was listed as the petitioner, with Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) named as respondents.
That information directly conflicts with the APC campaign council’s statement.
As of the latest available reports, there has been no clear public explanation establishing how a petition carrying Oyebamiji’s name came to be displayed while the APC campaign council insists that neither the party nor its candidate filed one. That distinction matters.
A petition appearing on a tribunal notice board and a political party officially acknowledging that it authorised the case are not necessarily the same thing.
Adeleke’s August 15 Victory
The controversy follows a closely watched governorship election in which Adeleke secured a second term.
INEC’s declared result showed Adeleke, who contested under the Accord Party, winning with 511,067 votes. Oyebamiji of the APC finished second with 444,815 votes, giving Adeleke a margin of 66,252 votes.
Adeleke won 19 of Osun’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji carried 11. The result returned Adeleke to office for another term after an election marked by intense political competition and mobilisation across the state.
The outcome also added another chapter to the political rivalry between Adeleke and the APC in Osun.
Why the APC Position Matters
The APC’s latest statement is important because Oyebamiji had previously indicated that his camp would pursue legitimate concerns through lawful means.
After the election, Oyebamiji congratulated Adeleke while also expressing concern over violence during the poll. He said his camp would continue to seek justice and fairness through lawful and constitutional channels where legitimate concerns existed.
That earlier position may have contributed to expectations that the APC could eventually approach the tribunal.
However, the campaign council’s September 7 statement makes its current position clear: it says the party and its candidate did not file the reported petition.
This is why the emerging dispute is less about the merits of any alleged election petition and more about establishing who actually authorised or submitted the document reportedly displayed by the tribunal.
Tribunal Claims Remain Unresolved
For now, the conflicting accounts mean caution is necessary when describing the situation. The APC campaign council has categorically denied filing a petition. At the same time, reports citing the tribunal secretariat say petitions were received and displayed, including one purportedly connected to Oyebamiji.
Earlier reporting had also suggested that the 21-day period for challenging the August 15 election had expired without a petition being recorded. The Guardian reported on September 7 that its findings showed no petition had been received by the tribunal as of the close of official business on the preceding Friday and Saturday.
The later reports of petitions being displayed therefore added another layer to an already confusing situation.
Until the tribunal, the APC, Oyebamiji or another authoritative source provides a definitive explanation of the disputed filing, it would be premature to conclude that the APC has formally challenged Adeleke’s victory.
For now, the clearest confirmed development is that the Osun APC Governorship Campaign Council has publicly disowned the reported petition and urged the public to rely on official statements rather than circulating claims.
