By John Dike, Osogbo
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke’s reelection has come under legal challenge as the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filed separate petitions challenging the outcome of the August 15 governorship election.
Their petitions were displayed on the notice board of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo on Monday, September 7, 2026, as the tribunal continued preparations for the commencement of proceedings.
This followed the governorship election in which Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and returned for a second term in office.
The APC petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026, was filed by the party’s governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.
The respondents listed in the petition are Governor Adeleke, the Accord Party and INEC.
The second petition, marked EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, was filed by Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola, with Adeleke, INEC and the Accord Party named as respondents.
The posting of the petitions followed an earlier notice issued by the tribunal secretary, Pefe Belemore, directing that the documents be displayed at the tribunal secretariat before noon on Monday.
Tribunal officials and secretariat staff were also at the premises as preparations continued for the commencement of proceedings in the election disputes.
However, the display of the petitions is a procedural step and does not amount to a judicial determination of the issues or allegations contained in them.
The respondents are expected to be formally served with the petitions before the cases can proceed to the next stages of the election petition proceedings and eventual hearing.
As of Monday, Adeleke remains the duly declared winner of the August 15 election, pending the determination of the petitions by the tribunal.
The detailed grounds upon which the petitioners are challenging the election were not immediately available from the documents displayed, while the tribunal has not issued any ruling on the merits of either petition.
The legal process is therefore still at its preliminary stage, with the petitioners expected to present their cases and the respondents given the opportunity to defend the result declared by INEC.
The petitions are expected to subject the conduct and outcome of the August 15 election to renewed judicial scrutiny as the parties begin presenting their respective positions before the tribunal.
The development is particularly noteworthy in the case of Oyebamiji, who had earlier congratulated Adeleke following the declaration of the election result.
Oyebamiji, who contested the election on the platform of the APC, had acknowledged Adeleke’s victory after INEC declared the Accord Party candidate winner of the poll.
Adeleke defeated Oyebamiji by a wide margin in the election, an outcome that was described by several observers and stakeholders as relatively peaceful and credible compared with some previous elections in the country.
Oyebamiji’s subsequent decision to approach the tribunal means that the electoral contest has now entered a new phase, with the courts expected to determine whether the grounds and evidence presented by the petitioners are sufficient to affect the result declared by INEC.
The tribunal will consider the evidence and legal arguments presented by the parties before reaching its decision.
Until the tribunal or a higher court rules otherwise, the result declared by INEC remains valid and Adeleke remains the duly elected Governor of Osun State.
The results of the election, announced on August 16 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), showed that the incumbent Governor and candidate of the Accord Party, Ademola Adeleke won.
Also, they showed that Adeleke defeated his closest challenger, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, to secure a second consecutive term in office.
The governor polled 511,067 votes to defeat Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes, giving Adeleke a winning margin of 66,252 votes.
The candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rt. Hon. Najeem Folasayo Salaam, came third with 17,180 votes.
The final declaration was made by the State Returning Officer, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, after the completion of the collation of results from the state’s 30 local government areas.
According to the results, Adeleke won 19 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured victory in 11 LGAs.
