BY Gbenga Gbesan
What could have been behind the thinking of Lawyer Anderson Asemota, the Abuja-based founder and Managing Partner of Neplus Ultra Attorneys in petitioning on behalf of a client who would publicly disown him that, “I have never spoken with or met the lawyer, Anderson Asemota of Neplus Ultra Attorneys, alleged to have written the petition on my behalf?” A highbrow legal practitioner as contained in his public profile, Anderson had “personally handled and participated in over 30 election petition cases and over 100 regular civil matters.”
On Wednesday, 14 October 2026, the lawyer had written a petition on behalf of one Topa Olusegun Peter (‘TOP’). According to the media reports, the lawyer claimed ‘TOP’ (whose first name ‘Topa’ will be adopted in this write-up), was “a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State.”
He gave the “Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 48 hours to explain his [Topa’s] omission from the list of candidates for the February 6, 2027 governorship election” in Ogun State. The authenticity of the lawyer’s letter to the INEC was confirmed by Nigerian newspaper, The Guardian, of 15 October 2026 because “a copy of the letter … was sighted by The Guardian.”
As lawyers are fond of saying, Anderson was well-apprised of his “client’s” case. He was succinct in the correspondence. “Peter,” he claimed, “obtained the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms on May 12, 2026.” He would go on to participate in the party’s governorship primary held on May 27. Where the primary was held? It was not indicated. Who were the officials who conducted the primary? That information was also missing.
The lawyer, however, further claimed “that the PDP forwarded his nomination particulars to INEC.” In addition, “his name appeared as entry number 15,783 on the party’s membership register submitted to the commission.” The grouse, therefore, was “INEC’s final list of candidates, published on October 10, [which,] did not contain Peter’s name.”
This was against the fact that “he is the party’s duly nominated candidate,” according to the lawyer. Peter’s demand as contained in the letter was that the commission should verify “his nomination records and publish his name as the PDP candidate if its records confirm that he was duly nominated and there is no lawful basis for his exclusion.” The lawyer “warned that failure to provide a substantive response within the stipulated period … could lead to court proceedings….”
Paradoxically, where reaction came from was unexpected. The very man, Topa Olusegun Peter, whose cause was being fought was the one who threw the gauntlet. He called the media together in Abeokuta on Saturday, 17 October 2026, about three days after the purported petition was supposed to have reached the desk of the INEC chairman in Abuja. He repudiated the petition and its writer. Topa was consternated.
Anderson, he alleged, had made “unauthorised use of his name.” Firmly, he “denied knowing or authorising the lawyer to act on his behalf.” That was a damning allegation to make, accusing a lawyer of fabrication, identity theft and misrepresentation. But Topa was however resolute. He maintained, unwaveringly, that he “was shocked and deeply surprised to discover that my name had appeared in newspaper publications as a governorship aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).” Categorically, he stated, it was “an aspiration I know absolutely nothing about.”
What could have happened? He had explanations. Though the Baale of Olorunsogo community located in the border area of Ogun State in Ilara axis of the Imeko-Afon Local Government Area, he was also an active politician. Topa belonged to the PDP. “I have been a loyal member of the PDP since 1998, the year the party was formed….,” he said. The road to the scandal began when one Ramoni Adebolu, the chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in their local government, Imeko-Afon, led some of his party stalwarts to him.
They met him in his Ilara home with a proposition. They had a “political position to offer him.” Although they let him realise that “the position was under the PDP,” but didn’t “explain its exact nature” to him. Topa said he wasn’t persuaded. Thus, “he immediately rejected the offer.”
He turned Adebolu and his group away. Stoutly, he let them realise that “he was not interested in the arrangement.” He had his suspicion telling them if there had to be any offer of position to him, “such could only come from my party, the PDP,” Topa stated.
Topa explained that what happened next was the baffling scandal. Confronting him were various “newspaper publications [that] identified him as a PDP governorship aspirant.” Taken aback, “he immediately contacted Adebolu to seek clarification.” Adebolu was mollifying. He brought to Topa a peace offering of “calm and promised … financial benefits and a car.” And there would be more: “after the emergence of Adeola (Yayi) as the APC’s governorship candidate,” Topa quoted Adebolu as saying.
But Topa was bothered instead of being mollified. Troubling to him were: one that the alleged petition was submitted to INEC in his name; two, that a lawyer had written on his behalf without his knowledge or authorisation; and three, that documents were submitted in his name without his consent. One important fact he wanted the public to know was that nothing transactional took place between him and Adebolu with his group.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I did not collect any money from the individuals mentioned in this statement,” he reiterated.
The local APC Imeko-Afon leader, Ramoni Adebolu, that Topa had placed at the centre of the scandal denied any complicity. In his reaction to The Punch newspaper on 19 October 2026, he flatly denied “knowing anything about the publication which presented Topa as the PDP governorship candidate for Ogun State.”
He didn’t however deny pitching of party-swapping to Topa. Expectedly as party’s operatives from the same local government, both – Topa and Adebolu – knew each other. Indeed, the two of them once belonged to the same party: PDP. “I have known Mr Peter since our days in the PDP during the government of former Governor Gbenga Daniel,” Adebolu admitted. Now, they belonged to different political camps.
Adebolu saw nothing wrong nor illegitimate in reaching out to “Mr Peter and others with a view to convincing them to join the ruling party.” So, as the APC chairman in Imeko-Afon Local Government, he held a meeting with Topa, sold the idea of party switching to him with a promise “that we shall duly accommodate them and ensure that they are also recognised in the scheme of things in the party,” he explained.
Adebolu saw his actions as within legal and democratic bounds of winning opposition figures to his party with a view to “further strengthen my party in the local government.” Outside this plain act of politically trying to win Topa to APC’s side, Adebolu said, “there was never a time I discussed anything else.” Firmly, he denied knowing anything about the publication.
“I don’t know anything about the newspaper report,” repeating again for emphasis, “I know nothing about the publication.” In other words, he too did not have anything to do with Anderson Asemota and his petition.
