The political contest over the 2026 Osun State governorship election has moved to the courtroom, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filing separate petitions against Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election.
The two petitions were displayed on the notice board of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo on Monday, formally commencing the legal process over the August 15 governorship poll.
Adeleke, who contested the election under the Accord Party, was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), securing 511,067 votes. His closest challenger, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, received 444,815 votes.
The APC petition, identified as EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, was filed by Oyebamiji. Adeleke, the Accord Party and INEC were named as respondents.
The PDP also submitted a separate petition, numbered EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026. It was filed by the party’s candidate, Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola, with Adeleke, INEC and the Accord Party listed as respondents.
The tribunal secretary, Pefe Belemore, confirmed that the petitions had been received and that the required notices were being displayed to enable the next stages of the proceedings.
The specific grounds being relied upon by the APC and PDP to challenge the election outcome had not been publicly disclosed as of Monday.
The filing of the petitions means Adeleke’s return for a second term will now be subjected to judicial scrutiny as the tribunal begins the process of hearing the challenges and determining whether the election result should stand.
