The All Progressives Congress (APC) Screening Committee for the Osun State governorship primary election has disqualified former deputy governor and National Secretary of the APC, Sen. Iyiola Omisore, former Deputy Governor Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, and five other governorship aspirants ahead of the party’s primary.
The other disqualified aspirants are Dotun Babayemi, Akin Ogunbiyi, Senator Babajide Omoworare, Kunle Adegoke (SAN), and Babatunde Haketer Oralusi.
The seven-man screening committee, chaired by Barr. Obinna Uzor submitted a report to the party’s organisation department yesterday, confirming that Hon. Mulikat Adeola Jimoh and Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji were cleared for the December 13 primary election.
The cleared aspirants were found to have met all regulatory requirements as outlined in the party’s guidelines, the APC Constitution, and the Electoral Act.
The Committee referred the disqualified aspirants to the National Working Committee (NWC) for final clearance before they can proceed to the shadow election.
In its six-page report, signed by all members, the Committee said it received a petition from the Osun APC Renewal Group calling for the disqualification of two aspirants accused of failing to meet the mandatory nominator requirements under the APC Constitution and the party’s guidelines.
The report stated that “upon careful review, the Committee found the issues raised in the petition to be weighty, substantial, and germane to the integrity of the screening process. In the interest of fairness, transparency, and uniform application of the party’s rules, the Committee resolved that the concerns highlighted should not be applied selectively.”
As a result, the Committee extended the same scrutiny to all nine aspirants, assessing each nominator based on compliance with Articles 9.3(i) and 31.2(ii) of the APC Constitution and Paragraph 6(c) of the Guidelines. This, it said, ensured a level playing field and upheld internal party democracy.
At the end of the two-day screening exercise, the Committee “found that two (2) aspirants, Mulikat Abiola Jimoh and Munirudeen Bola Oyebanji, satisfactorily met all constitutional and guideline requirements of the APC, including proper nomination by the requisite number of fully registered, financially up-to-date party members from each Local Government Area.”
However, the Committee stated that seven aspirants — Sen. Iyiola Omisore, Babatunde Haketer Oralusi, Mr Oyedotun Babayemi, Dr Akinade Akanmu Ogunbiyi, Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, Adegoke Rasheed Okiki Adekunle, and Sen. Babajide Omoworare — failed to meet the mandatory requirement of being nominated by five fully registered and financially up-to-date members from each Local Government Area.
This contravenes Articles 9.3(i) and 31.2(ii) of the APC Constitution and Paragraph 6(c) of the APC Guidelines for the 2025 Governorship Primary.
Meanwhile, the Screening Appeal Committee, led by Senator Tola Odebiyi, will meet on Saturday in Abuja to consider petitions and appeals from the seven disqualified aspirants and any other aggrieved stakeholders.
