The Peoples Democratic Party has disowned an election petition filed in its name challenging Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the August 15 Osun governorship poll.

The party’s national publicity secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja, said the party did not authorise, sponsor, nor approve petition number EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026 currently before the Election Petition Tribunal.

According to Mr Mohammed, only the PDP national legal adviser possesses the constitutional mandate to institute or delegate legal proceedings on its behalf.

“We are here to tell you that the PDP did not authorise this petition, and it is not our case. The party did not institute, sponsor, approve, nor endorse the petition challenging the outcome of the August 15 Osun governorship election,” he said.

He also said that the party had already placed disclaimer advertisements on the action in major national daily newspapers.

Mr Mohammed said the PDP was aware that a legal practitioner, Ochai Jacob Otokpa, was purportedly responsible for filing the petition in the party’s name. He challenged the lawyer to produce any written instruction, authority, or mandate empowering him to act for the party.

“We, therefore, challenge him to produce the authority, instruction, or mandate upon which he relied in assuming the locus to institute proceedings in the name of the Peoples Democratic Party. Who instructed him? Who authorised him? By what authority did he purport to act in the name of the PDP? These are legitimate questions to which the party and the Nigerian public deserve clear answers,” he said.

The spokesperson noted that the party’s candidate had previously appeared on a television programme on September 7 to publicly disclaim and disown the petition, affirming that he never engaged any legal practitioner to challenge the poll results.

He said the PDP’s legal department was taking immediate steps to withdraw the unauthorised suit before the tribunal in Osogbo formally.

Mr Mohammed urged security agencies and relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fraudulent petition and take appropriate action against those involved. He also called on the tribunal, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Accord Party, Mr Adeleke, and the public to disregard the petition in its entirety.

Mr Mohammed warned against the unauthorised use of the PDP name for selfish ends. Mr Mohammed declared that the party would no longer tolerate actions aimed at ridiculing its brand. He threatened that the PDP would deploy disciplinary measures against any individuals involved, regardless of their status.

“The PDP is a creation of the law, and we have taken it upon ourselves that those days are gone when we tolerated such flagrant attitudes that tend to ridicule the party. We have decided to use the sledgehammer to deal with any individual, no matter how highly placed, whenever we find out that statements or positions are taken on behalf of the party without the due authority of the legitimate leadership of the party,” he said.

(NAN)