The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, yesterday, withdrew the petition it filed before the State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal against the re-election victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke.

The APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had earlier challenged the outcome of the election in suit number EPT/OS/GOV/01/2026 and EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026, filed at the weekend, respectively.

The APC’s suit was filed by its counsel, Oluseyi Oyagbile and submitted to the tribunal in the company of the deputy governorship candidate of the party, Kayode Adereti, who signed on behalf of Bola Oyebamiji and other party leaders.

Meanwhile, the APC’s legal team, led by Abiodun Layonu (SAN), has disowned the petition, insisting that the party is no longer challenging the outcome of the election.

Oyagbile confirmed that he had withdrawn the petition filed by the party.

He said his client and party leaders had reached out to him to withdraw the petition.

“My client and leaders of the APC reached out to me this morning to withdraw the petition I filed on their behalf, and I have withdrawn it.

“Before I did so, I urged them to send WhatsApp messages to me giving the instruction so that it will not be a matter of controversy again.”

He reiterated that Adereti signed the petition in the company of party leaders and excos at the tribunal on Saturday.

RELATEDLY, the PDP’s candidate in the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State, Dr Wole Oluyede, has formally withdrawn the petition he filed before the Election Petition Tribunal challenging the re-election of Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the APC.

The tribunal, at its first sitting in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, struck out the petition following the motion of withdrawal filed by the PDP’s flag bearer before the three-member panel of judges, led by Justice Abubakar Idris Kutigi.

Other members of the panel are Justice Aminu Tukur and Justice Maurice Okediya.

Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Kutigi, subsequently struck out Oluyede’s petition in line with the wish of the petitioner, whose motion to withdraw the petition had earlier been moved by his counsel, who also represented the PDP, Paul Komolafe.

Counsel to Oyebanji and APC, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), and counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Sulaiman Ibrahim, did not oppose the motion of the petitioners (Oluyede and PDP) to withdraw their petition from the tribunal.

Oluyede, while speaking with reporters after the petition was struck out by the tribunal consequent upon his request, said his action was predicated on the appeal made to him by individuals he described as “important people” and out of respect to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Oluyede said that Oyebanji, following his victory at the polls, also extended a hand of fellowship to him, declaring his readiness to join hands with the governor to ensure a resounding victory for Tinubu in Ekiti at the forthcoming presidential election.

However, the tribunal has adjourned its sitting to Thursday, September 10, 2026, for ruling on the pre-hearing report by parties in the case and Monday, September 14, 2026, for the hearing of the substantive petitions filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidate, Isaac Adebayo Alade and Action Alliance (AA) and its candidate, Matthew Olu Omotoso.

The two parties and their candidates, who were represented by their counsel, Dr Nnamdi Ikpeazu, are challenging the return of Oyebanji as the winner of the governorship election by the electoral umpire, INEC.