APC stops Omisore, Alabi, four others; clears Oyebamiji, Jimoh for guber race

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has disqualified a former deputy governor and ex-National Secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore; another former deputy governor, Benedict Olugboyega Alabi; and four other governorship aspirants from participating in its December 13, 2025, primary election in Osun State.

Others affected by the disqualification are Dotun Babayemi, Akin Ogunbiyi, Senator Babajide Omoworare, Kunle Adegoke (SAN) and Babatunde Haketer Oralusi.

In its report submitted on Friday to the party’s organisation department, the seven-member screening committee chaired by Barrister Obinna Uzor announced that only two aspirants—Hon. Mulikat Adeola Jimoh and Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji—met all requirements to contest the primary.

According to the committee, both aspirants “fulfilled regulatory conditions as stipulated by the party’s guidelines, the Constitution and the Electoral Act”, thereby earning full clearance.

However, the panel referred the six disqualified aspirants to the National Working Committee (NWC) for a final review and possible clearance before the shadow poll.

The committee revealed in its six-page report, signed by all members, that it acted on a petition submitted by the Osun APC Renewal Group.

The petition had urged the disqualification of two aspirants because they failed to meet the mandatory nominator requirements set by the APC Constitution and guidelines.

The panel 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.” It added that, in the interest of fairness and uniform application of the rules, the same standards were applied to all nine aspirants.

“Accordingly, the Committee extended the same scrutiny to all nine aspirants, ensuring that every sponsor (nominator) of an aspirant was assessed on the basis of compliance with Articles 9.3(i) and 31.2(ii) of the APC Constitution and Paragraph 6(c) of the Guidelines,” the report noted, saying this was to preserve a level playing field and uphold internal party democracy.

At the end of the two-day exercise, the committee confirmed that only Jimoh and Oyebamiji “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.”

It was observed that Senators Omisore and Omoworare, and Babayemi, Ogunbiyi, Alabi, Adegoke and Oralusi failed to meet the mandatory condition of being nominated by at least five financially compliant members from each local government, as required under Articles 9.3(i) and 31.2(ii) of the APC Constitution and Paragraph 6(c) of the 2025 Governorship Primary Guidelines.

Meanwhile, the Screening Appeal Committee, chaired by Senator Tola Odebiyi, is scheduled to sit on Saturday in Abuja to hear petitions from the seven disqualified aspirants and any other aggrieved party stakeholders.