All Progressives Congress (APC) screening committee has barred Iyiola Omisore, the party’s former national secretary, along with six other aspirants, from participating in the Osun governorship primary scheduled for December 13.
Gatekeepers News reports that the panel cited irregularities and gaps in the aspirants’ nomination documents as the reason for their disqualification.
The committee, chaired by Obinna Uzoh, concluded its sittings on Thursday and submitted its report to the APC national working committee in Abuja on Friday.
The disqualified aspirants are Omisore, Babatunde Haketer Oralusi, Oyedotun Babayemi, Akin Ogunbiyi, Benedict Alabi, Adegoke Rasheed Okiki, and Babajide Omoworare.
According to the panel, they failed to provide proof of sponsorship by at least five fully registered and financially up-to-date party members from each local government area, as required by the APC constitution and guidelines.
Only Mulikat Abiola Jimoh and Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji were cleared to contest the primary. The report said the screening involved examination of documents and materials and structured interviews to verify aspirants’ knowledge of party rules, personal preparedness, compliance with nomination requirements, and overall suitability. The panel described the process as “transparent, fair, and objective.”
The committee also noted it received a petition from the Osun APC Renewal Group calling for the disqualification of two aspirants who allegedly failed to meet nomination rules.
It said the petition raised weighty, substantial, and relevant concerns that needed to be applied uniformly to maintain the integrity of the screening.
Jimoh and Oyebamiji met all constitutional requirements, including sponsorship by the requisite number of party members across all local government areas, while the other seven aspirants did not.
The panel observed that the party structure in Osun remains divided and recommended that the national leadership establish a robust reconciliation mechanism to unify all factions.
It suggested that political appointments, party offices, and campaign roles be distributed evenly across zones and blocs to reduce grievances ahead of the election, which INEC has scheduled for August 8, 2026.
