The Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the August 15 Osun State governorship election, Adebayo Adedamola, has disowned a petition purportedly filed in his name against Governor Ademola Adeleke.
Adedamola said he was neither aware of the petition nor involved in its filing, insisting that he did not authorise his lawyers to challenge the governor’s victory at the election tribunal.
The controversy followed the public display of petitions at the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Osogbo on Monday.
Among the documents displayed was a petition numbered EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, which identified Adedamola as the petitioner and listed Adeleke, the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Accord Party as respondents.
But the PDP candidate, speaking in an interview with TVC, said he had no knowledge of the case.
“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 explained that neither his legal team nor the PDP leadership had contacted him over any decision to commence litigation against the election result.
He said there had also been no meeting where a decision was taken to challenge Adeleke’s victory.
“There has never been any meeting where a decision has been reached to challenge the decision of the court,” he said.
The PDP candidate further argued that his previous actions did not suggest any intention to challenge Adeleke’s victory.
According to him, his support for the governor was publicly demonstrated before the election, when the PDP held a press conference on August 13, two days before the poll, to back Adeleke.
He added that he personally voted for Adeleke, who contested the election on the platform of the Accord Party.
“I even voted for Governor Adeleke of the Accord party. Why would I now change today and be filing any petition against him?” he asked.
Adedamola’s denial now puts the authorship and legitimacy of the petition bearing his name under scrutiny, particularly as the tribunal has commenced proceedings involving challenges to the August 15 election.
The development is also likely to prompt questions about whether the petition was filed with the candidate’s authority and who instructed the lawyers reportedly connected to the case.
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