December 08, (THEWILL) — The APC governorship primary scheduled for December 13, 2025 has begun with all guns blazing as the All Progressives Congress (APC) disqualifies its former National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore and six other aspirants from participating in the forthcoming event in Osun State.
The decision followed the conclusion of the Screening Committee’s exercise on December 4, 2025, at Amor Hotel, Katampe, Abuja. Chaired by Chief Obinna Uzoh, the committee said the affected aspirants failed to meet key nomination requirements outlined in the APC Constitution and the party’s guidelines.
According to the panel, the seven disqualified aspirants — Omisore, Babatunde Haketer Oralusi, Oyedotun Babayemi, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, Adegoke Rasheed Okiki, and Senator Babajide Omoworare — did not provide evidence of sponsorship by at least five fully registered and financially up-to-date party members from each of the 30 Local Government Areas in Osun State.
The requirement is mandated by Articles 9.3(i) and 31.2(ii) of the APC Constitution and Paragraph 6(c) of the party’s guidelines.
Uzor said, “The issues raised were weighty, substantial and germane to the integrity of the screening process. In the interest of fairness and transparency, the concerns could not be applied selectively. Every aspirant was subjected to the same scrutiny. The rules of the party are binding on all members without exception,” he said, adding, “Where an aspirant falls short of such a fundamental requirement, the committee has no choice.”
He also confirmed that the decision followed a petition filed by the Osun APC Renewal Group, which accused some aspirants of not meeting the nominator requirement. “Rather than apply the petition to just two individuals, we extended the same verification to all nine. That is the only way internal democracy can stand,” he added.
Only two aspirants — Mulikat Abiola Jimoh and former Osun Commissioner for Finance, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji — met the conditions and were cleared to contest the primary.
The committee said its decision was triggered by a petition from the Osun APC Renewal Group alleging irregularities in the nomination process for some aspirants. To ensure fairness, all nine aspirants were subjected to the same scrutiny, leading to the widespread disqualification.
The development has unsettled the Osun APC, with allies of the disqualified contenders denouncing the outcome as “politically motivated.” They vowed to challenge the ruling, insisting it would not stand.
However, the disqualification has caused a growing disquiet in the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of next week’s primary. According to investigation, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, is said to be the hand behind the disqualification. People say the Minister, Gboyega Oyetola is also acting on “orders from above.”
As leader of the party in the state, the minister has the power to influence the outcome of the choice of candidate to fly the party’s ticket in the August 2026 governorship poll. Yet, the two aspirants – Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji and Mulikat Abiola, are known to be his loyalists. They may not stand a chance in a freely conducted party primary in the race for the Oke-Fia Government House in 2026.
Party insiders told THEWILL that an emergency meeting of the affected aspirants is ongoing, with strong indications that formal appeals will be filed before the National Working Committee (NWC). For Omisore, the report was rigged by the Minister of Marine Economy.
Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved aspirants, Omisore dismissed the reported disqualification as “the jokest report of the year,” claiming that the panel submitted multiple contradictory documents and that the version taken to the party secretariat was not the authentic report.
“We are aware that the panel members have two, three reports. The one taken to the secretariat wasn’t the original report. As we speak today, none of us has seen their report or why we were disqualified,” Omisore said, insisting that their political pedigree made the decision laughable.
“You can see for yourself that when you disqualify people like us in any contest, where do we go from there? The party is pointing at failure”, he added.
The former APC National Secretary accused the Minister of influencing the outcome of the report and ordered the Committee’ s Chairman disqualify all the aspirants to pave the way for his preferred candidate, Wale Oyebamiji. “He told us that Minister Gboyega Oyetola called him that they must disqualify all of us because he wants his lackey, his poster boy, Oyebamiji,” Omisore said.
When asked to clarify whether the panel chairman indeed made such a confession, he responded, “Yes, he told us that he was under pressure. The screening report is subject to ratification by the NWC, which is expected to review the matter in the coming days.
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