Author: The Nation

All seven governorship aspirants disqualified by the Osun State APC screening committee have rejected the decision, describing it as the “biggest joke of the year.”

The seven-man panel, led by Barrister Obinna Uzor, on Friday disqualified seven of the nine aspirants vying for the party’s ticket ahead of the December 13 shadow election.

Those affected include former Deputy Governor and APC National Secretary Sen. Iyiola Omisore, immediate past Deputy Governor Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, Dotun Babayemi, Akin Ogunbiyi, Senator Babajide Omoworare, Kunle Adegoke (SAN), and Babatunde Haketer Oralusi.

The committee cited failure to meet nomination requirements under Articles 9.3(i), 31.2(ii) of the APC Constitution, and Paragraph 6(c) of the party’s guidelines. In its 6-page report, the panel cleared only Hon. Mulikat Adeola Jimoh and Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, stating they fulfilled the regulatory requirements under party rules and the Electoral Act.

At a joint press conference after submitting their appeals, Sen. Omisore called the disqualification a politically motivated move, alleging that the screening panel chairman faced “intense pressure from powerful interests” aiming to sideline leading aspirants in favour of a preferred candidate allegedly supported by the presidency.

The aggrieved aspirants accused party insiders of attempting to manipulate the process and impose their preferred candidate on the contest.

“This report is the joke of 2025,” he declared. “People have taken partisanship beyond politics. The committee wrote three contradictory reports—one to the secretary, one to the leadership, and another somewhere else. Even as we speak, none of us has officially received anything.

“They told us the Villa wanted their candidate”

The former APC national secretary alleged that the screening chairman personally informed aspirants that certain figures were pushing for the disqualification of all major contenders to pave the way for a favored aspirant

“The chairman told us from day one that phone calls were coming from everywhere,” he said. “He told us outright that ‘they want to disqualify all of you because their candidate is from the Villa.’ So what happened is not surprising.”

According to Omisore, who was a former deputy governor in the state, the entire two day screening exercise was a procedural mess.

He noted that as the time of addressing reporters, none of the disqualified aspirants is aware of the specific allegations against them, nor have they been provided evidence of non-compliance.

“What are the accusations? We have not seen anything,” he said. “Even our letters were not delivered to us. How do you disqualify people without giving them the basis?”

The governorship hopeful faulted the committee’s claim that most aspirants failed to meet the nomination threshold. 

Citing his own Senatorial zone, Omisore noted that the Ife zone alone had over 230,000 valid party members.

Asked to share what transpired between him and the panel, Omisore said, “I am the only one that have met them. But we have the same reservations . So far, it is so good that all of us will meet the appeal panel individually.

“I asked them what the allegations are because we haven’t seen any. We haven’t been written. So, what is the basis of the disqualification? You said we didn’t have nominators, five per local government. But the law says he who alleges must prove. They should have used another method to disqualify us.

When asked if he is hopeful of the leeway provided by the screening committee through the National Working Committee (NWC), Omisore said: “I am hopeful. It was a fake screening. The NWC members know our pedigree. They know the truth.”

He, however, declined to speculate on his next move if the NWC upholds the disqualification.

“You can’t think ahead for us,” he replied. “Let’s get there first.”

Meanwhile, another disqualified aspirant, Omoba Dotun Babayemi, said he was at the screening appeal to plead with the NWC through the committee.

“I am not here to protest or challenge the verdict of the screening committee but to appeal NWC through the screening appeal committee to review the decision and clear me to contest the primary election.

Only four of the disqualified aspirants appeared before the panel by the time the report was being filed.