Omisore Breaks Silence On Disqualification From APC’s Osun Governorship Primary

Former National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore, has criticized his disqualification from the party’s Osun governorship primary, calling the decision “a huge joke” and accusing the screening panel of being biased and engaging in procedural violations.

Speaking to journalists after appearing before the APC Appeal Committee on Saturday in Abuja, Omisore strongly denounced the credibility of the screening panel’s report. He claimed the panel’s actions were influenced by external pressure and partisanship.

Omisore said, “The panel report is the biggest joke of the year. It is unfortunate that partisanship has been taken beyond politics. We know that the panel produced multiple reports, and the one submitted to the secretariat was not the original. As we speak, none of us has been shown the report or told why we were disqualified.”

He further alleged that the chairman of the panel privately admitted to being under pressure to disqualify all major aspirants in favour of a particular candidate. “The chairman told us he was under pressure. Unfortunately, we are all victims of this,” he added.

The former deputy governor also challenged the grounds of his disqualification, particularly the panel’s claim that the aspirants lacked the required number of nominators.

Omisore argued that the party leadership had full access to the membership register and should have verified the details before issuing such a claim.

“He who alleges must prove,” he stated, further expressing confidence that the National Working Committee (NWC) would overturn the disqualification decision.

Omisore emphasized that the issues raised by the panel highlighted deeper divisions within the Osun APC, pointing out that even the committee’s own report acknowledged the party’s factionalization and the risk of losing the upcoming election. “So what exactly are we talking about?” Omisore questioned.

Omisore concluded by reiterating that all seven disqualified aspirants would individually appear before the appeal panel. He stressed that the appeal process must be guided by fairness and transparency, urging that the party’s decision should be based on integrity and due process.