•Clears Oyebamiji, Abiola

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

The screening committee set up by the All Progressives Congress (APC) has disqualified former deputy governor, Senator Iyiola Omisore and six other aspirants from participating in the party’s primary for the Osun State off-cycle governorship election.

The committee in the report submitted to the national leadership of the party, the National Working Committee (NWC) on Friday, hinged its decision on the outcome of the petition written by the stakeholders of the party in the state.

The committee also explained that the disqualified aspirants also failed to meet up with the mandatory nomination requirement of being sponsored by five fully registered and financially up-to-date members from each local government area, contrary to the APC Constitution and Guidelines for the 2025 governorship primary.

According to the report, the disqualified aspirants include Senator Omisore, Babatunde Haketer Oralusi, Oyedotun Babayemi, Akinade Akanmu Ogunbiyi, Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, Adegoke Rasheed Okiki Adekunle, and Senator Babajide Omoworare, noting that it is left for the party’s national leadership to take the final decision.

The committee cleared the duo of former Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, and Mulikat Abiola Jimoh to contest the primary election billed for next month.

Titled: ‘Report of the screening committee for the Oun State governorship primary election, it noted that its mandate was to assess aspirants’ eligibility and compliance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, Electoral Act, APC Constitution, the Party Guidelines, and other relevant regulatory instruments.

Defending the disqualification, it noted: “The Committee received a petition from Osun APC Renewal Group, urging the disqualification of the two aspirants who were identified as falling short of the mandatory nominator requirements prescribed under the APC Constitution and the Party’s Guidelines for the governorship primary.

“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.

“The Committee found that two aspirants, Mulikat Abiola Jimoh and Munirudeen Bola 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.”