- The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the August 15 Osun State governorship election, Adebayo Olugbenga, has denied filing any petition challenging the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the August 15 Osun State governorship election, Adebayo Olugbenga, has denied filing any petition challenging the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Adebayo made the clarification during an interview on TVC News, following confirmation by the Secretary of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that petitions challenging the election outcome had been filed.
Reports had indicated that the All Progressives Congress and its governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, as well as Adebayo, had filed separate petitions against Governor Adeleke, the Accord Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
However, Adebayo said he was not aware of any petition filed in his name, insisting that neither he nor his legal team had authorised such a move.
He recalled that he publicly withdrew from the governorship race shortly before the election and endorsed Governor Adeleke, urging his supporters and members of his party to support the incumbent. ‘Infact, I voted for Governor Ademola Adeleke during the poll,’ he added.
Adebayo said there had been no meeting or decision within his camp to challenge the election outcome in court.
He described the alleged petition as unacceptable, stressing that he had no reason to challenge an election result after publicly supporting Adeleke and voting for him.
The PDP candidate also dismissed speculation that the alleged petition could be connected to political disagreements over Governor Adeleke’s reported support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
According to him, political alignments at the presidential level should not be used as a basis for challenging the outcome of the Osun governorship election.
Adebayo said his lawyer would take up the matter with the tribunal, particularly because his name had allegedly been attached to a petition he did not authorise.
“You cannot put my name on a paper” without his consent, he said, adding that he had not been briefed by his lawyer or any party leader about plans to file a petition on his behalf.
The development comes as the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal begins processing legal challenges to the August 15 election, in which Governor Adeleke was declared the winner.
Adebayo, however, maintained that he remained opposed to any petition challenging Adeleke’s victory in the election.