‘I didn’t file any petition against Adeleke’ — Osun PDP candidate
Adebayo Adedamola, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in the August 15 Osun State election, has distanced himself from a petition challenging the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke. Adedamola stated that neither he nor his legal representatives filed or authorized the petition, contradicting reports that surfaced during a session of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo on Monday.
The petition, designated EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, was alleged to have been filed under Adedamola’s name against Adeleke, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Accord Party.
In an interview with TVC on Monday, Adedamola expressed surprise at the existence of the petition, insisting that he had not instructed his attorneys to pursue any legal action regarding the election results. “There’s no petition filed by me or my counsel. So, I don’t know where they manufactured the petition they submitted at the tribunal,” he said.
Adedamola emphasized that he had received no communication from his legal team or Party leadership indicating plans to contest the election results in court. He further asserted that no meetings had taken place where a decision was made to initiate a post-election legal challenge.
“There has never been any meeting where a decision has been reached to challenge the decision of the court,” he added.
Regarding his stance on Adeleke’s victory, Adedamola explained that his support for the governor was established prior to the election. He recalled that the PDP held a press conference on August 13, two days before the election, to publicly endorse Adeleke’s candidacy. Adedamola confirmed he ultimately voted for the Accord candidate, saying, “I even voted for Governor Adeleke of the Accord party. Why would I now change today and be filing any petition against him?”
