Osun Election: PDP Disowns Petition Challenging Adeleke’s Victory

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disowned an election petition filed in its name challenging the victory of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, in the August 15 governorship election.

 

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, disclosed this at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja, saying the PDP neither authorised, sponsored nor approved petition number EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026 before the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo.

 

Mohammed said only the PDP National Legal Adviser had the constitutional mandate to institute or delegate legal proceedings on behalf of the party, adding that no such authorisation was granted for the petition.

 

“We are here to tell you that the PDP did not authorise this petition, and it is not our case. The party did not institute, sponsor, approve, nor endorse the petition challenging the outcome of the Aug. 15 Osun governorship election,” he said.

 

He disclosed that the party had published disclaimer advertisements in major national newspapers to distance itself from the petition.

 

According to Mohammed, the PDP was aware that a lawyer, Ochai Jacob Otokpa, was purportedly responsible for filing the petition in the party’s name.

 

He challenged the lawyer to produce any written instruction, authority or mandate empowering him to institute the proceedings on behalf of the PDP.

 

“We, therefore, challenge him to produce the authority, instruction, or mandate upon which he relied in assuming the locus to institute proceedings in the name of the Peoples Democratic Party,” Mohammed said.

 

The spokesperson also noted that the party’s candidate in the election had publicly disowned the petition during a television programme on September 7, stating that he had not engaged any lawyer to challenge the election results.

 

Mohammed said the PDP’s legal department was taking immediate steps to formally withdraw the unauthorised petition before the tribunal in Osogbo.

 

He urged security agencies and relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the petition and take appropriate action against those responsible.

 

The PDP also called on the Election Petition Tribunal, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Accord Party, Governor Adeleke and the public to disregard the petition.

 

Mohammed warned against the unauthorised use of the PDP’s name, saying the party would take disciplinary action against anyone found to have acted without the authority of its legitimate leadership.

 

“We have decided to use the sledgehammer to deal with any individual, no matter how highly placed, whenever we find out that statements or positions are taken on behalf of the party without the due authority of the legitimate leadership of the party,” he said.