The national leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is seeking probe into the circumstances leading to the filing of an election petition against the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke at the Osun State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo, by one Ochai Otokpa.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Jungudo Mohammed, said at a news conference in Abuja that the party never authorised the petition and was taking appropriate steps to withdraw same, as only the national legal adviser could authorise such a petition on behalf of the party.
The PDP leadership led by the Ezenwo Nyesom Wike-backed Abdulrahaman Mohammed-led National Working Committee did not present any candidate for the Osun governorship election.
Mohammed said under Article 42 of the PDP Constitution, the authority to institute and conduct legal proceedings on behalf of the party is vested in the National Legal Adviser, adding that the National Legal Adviser of the PDP, A. K. Ajibade, SAN, did not authorise or issue any instruction to any individual or lawyer ‘’to file this petition on behalf of the PDP.’’
He challenged the lawyer who filed the petition to produce the authority, instruction, or mandate which he relied on in assuming the locus to institute proceedings in the name of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Mohammed said: “Who instructed him? Who authorised him? And by what authority did he purport to act in the name of the PDP? These are legitimate questions to which the party and the public deserve clear answers.
“The party therefore completely disowns and dissociates itself from Election Petition No. EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026. Until such authority is produced, PDP maintains its unequivocal position that Election Petition No. EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026 was not instituted with the authority or consent of the Peoples Democratic Party and does not represent the position of the party.
“It is equally instructive to inform the public that even Mr. Adebayo Adedamola, popularly known as “Fryo”, who was purportedly presented as the PDP candidate in the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election, has publicly distanced himself from the purported petition.
“Speaking on TVC News on September 7, Adedamola said he did not instruct or retain any lawyer to institute a petition challenging the outcome of the election. The question further remains. On whose instructions was the petition filed? DailyNews Briefings
“While the Legal Department of the PDP is taking immediate steps to formally withdraw the party’s name from the purported proceedings, we wish to make it abundantly clear that the PDP does not recognise Election Petition No. EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026 as a proceeding instituted by or on behalf of the party.
“We therefore call on Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, INEC, Accord Party, Governor Adeleke, security agencies, the media, and the public to take note of the party’s position and disregard the purported petition and its contents and any representation or claim that the said petition is an official PDP action.
“We further call on the appropriate authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the preparation and filing of the purported petition and to take appropriate action against anyone found to have unlawfully impersonated the party or used its name, identity, or legal personality without authority.
“PDP will not allow its name, constitutional authority, or institutional identity to be appropriated by individuals acting without the mandate of the party.”