The Nyesom Wike-backed Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has disowned a petition challenging the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State.

Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, clarified that the PDP neither authorised nor endorsed Election Petition No. EPT/OS/GOV/02/2026 before the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo.

This came a few days after the tribunal displayed petitions purportedly filed by the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the PDP challenging the outcome of the August 15 governorship election.

Mohammed described the petition bearing the PDP’s name as unauthorised, insisting that it did not represent the position of the party.

According to him, the PDP neither instituted, sponsored, approved nor endorsed any legal action challenging Adeleke’s victory in the election.

The PDP faction spokesman cited Article 42 of the PDP Constitution, which he said vests the authority to institute and conduct legal proceedings on behalf of the party in the National Legal Adviser.

Mohammed further noted that the party’s National Legal Adviser, A.K. Ajibade, SAN, did not authorise or instruct any individual or lawyer to file the petition.

He specifically named Ochai Jacob Otokpa, Esq., as the lawyer purportedly responsible for filing the petition and challenged him to produce evidence of the authority under which he acted in the party’s name.

He said, “We are here to tell you that the PDP did not authorise this petition. That is not our case. Who instructed him? Who authorised him? And by what authority did he purport to act in the name of the PDP?”

According to him, the party had dissociated itself completely from the petition and would not recognise it as a proceeding instituted on its behalf.

Africa’s representatives endured another difficult day at the 12th FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, with Benin Republic and Tanzania suffering heavy defeats that have raised fresh concerns about the continent’s performance on the global stage.

Sports247 reports that Benin Republic, making their debut at the tournament, were brutally exposed by Argentina in Group A, suffering an 8-0 defeat, while Tanzania’s Twiga Stars were thrashed 5-1 by England in Group B.

The results underline the challenging gap African teams continue to face against some of the world’s established women’s football nations, with the continent struggling to make the desired impact in the early stages of the competition.

Tanzania’s defeat was particularly painful as Nigeria-born Princess Ademiluyi helped England establish early control. The youngster opened the scoring in the ninth minute after connecting with Lia Vivienne, who later provided the assist for Jessie Gale to score England’s fifth goal.

The Young Lionesses, bronze medallists in 2018 and appearing at the tournament for the fifth time, dominated large periods of the encounter.

Rachel Maltby was the standout performer, scoring a hat-trick, with all three goals coming from the penalty spot. She converted in the 15th minute after Lidya Vivienne was penalised, before scoring again in the 43rd minute after Elizabeth Mutimi conceded another penalty.

Mutimi was penalised again two minutes later, allowing Maltby to complete her hat-trick and further compound Tanzania’s misery.

Jamila Mnuduka scored Tanzania’s only goal in the 65th minute, but was forced off with an injury three minutes later.

Tanzania’s defeat leaves them facing a difficult final group match against Canada, while England will meet Brazil in the group’s headline fixture. Brazil currently lead Group B with six points after a 3-0 victory over Canada, with England on four points.

In Group A, Benin’s 8-0 humiliation against Argentina leaves the debutants with just one point and a daunting final encounter against hosts Poland, who defeated Mexico 2-1 and lead the group with six points, Sports247 gathered.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s Black Princesses are also under pressure in Group C after losing 3-0 to Ecuador in their opening fixture. Ghana will face Korea in their next outing.

With several African representatives already struggling, the continent will need a significant turnaround in fortunes to avoid another disappointing showing at the global youth tournament. The remaining group matches now carry enormous importance for Africa’s hopes of progressing deeper into the competition.