Biggest joke of the year – Omisore rejects Osun APC disqualification

Former National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore, has rejected his disqualification from the party’s Osun governorship primary, describing the decision as “a huge joke” and accusing the screening panel of bias and procedural irregularities.

Addressing journalists after appearing before the APC Appeal Committee on Saturday in Abuja, Omisore said the screening panel’s report lacked credibility and was influenced by external forces.

The APC had earlier disqualified Omisore and six other aspirants over alleged failure to meet stipulated requirements.

Omisore, however, dismissed the grounds for disqualification, insisting that neither he nor any of the other aspirants had been officially informed of any specific infractions.

He said: “That panel report is the biggest joke of the year. It is unfortunate that partisanship has been stretched beyond politics. We know 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 panel chairman privately admitted to being pressured to disqualify major contenders to clear the way for a preferred aspirant.

“The chairman told us he was under pressure. Unfortunately, we are all victims of this,” Omisore stated.

He also faulted the panel’s claim that the aspirants failed to meet the required number of nominators, arguing that the party’s leadership had full access to the membership database and could have easily verified the details.

“He who alleges must prove,” he said.

Expressing optimism that the National Working Committee (NWC) would overturn the decision, Omisore noted that the panel’s own report acknowledged internal divisions within the Osun APC.

“Even the committee’s report said the party is factionalised and at risk of losing the election. So what exactly are we talking about?” he asked.

He added that all seven disqualified aspirants would appear individually before the appeal panel, stressing the need for fairness, transparency, and due process in resolving the matter.