- Safiu Kehinde
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Screening Committee has former Osun State Deputy Governor, Iyiola Omisore, and six other aspirants from contesting in the Osun State governorship primary slated to hold on the 13th of December.
Omisore and the other disqualified aspirants were reportedly barred over gaps in their nomination documents with Mulikat Abiola Jimoh and Munirudeen Bola Oyebamij emerging as the only two aspirants cleared by the screening committee.
The committee’s report, submitted to the APC National Working Committee in Abuja on Friday, stated that the disqualified aspirants failed to provide proof of sponsorship from at least five fully registered and financially up-to-date party members from each Local Government Area in Osun State, a requirement contained in Articles 9.3(i) and 31.2(ii) of the APC Constitution and Paragraph 6(c) of the party’s guidelines.
Other aspirants disqualified alongside Omisore include Babatunde Haketer Oralusi, Oyedotun Babayemi, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, Benedict Alabi, Adegoke Rasheed Okiki and Senator Babajide Omoworare.
According to report, the committee, chaired by Chief Obinna Uzoh, explained that every aspirant’s documents, declarations and attachments were checked to confirm authenticity and compliance with party rules.
Each aspirant was also interviewed to assess their knowledge of party processes and readiness for the contest.
Meanwhile, a petition submitted by the Osun APC Renewal Group had earlier questioned the qualification of the two cleared aspirants.
The committee said it reviewed the issues raised and noted that the concerns were weighty, but insisted that Jimoh and Oyebamiji met all constitutional and guideline requirements, including proper nomination by party members across all LGAs.
The panel maintained that the same standard was used for all aspirants, stressing that the gaps in the nomination papers of the seven disqualified aspirants could not be overlooked.
It added that Osun APC remains divided and advised the party leadership to immediately set up a reconciliation mechanism to bring all factions together before the August 8, 2026 governorship election.