Saawua Terzungwe
Former National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore, has described his disqualification from the party’s Osun governorship primary as “a huge joke,” accusing the screening panel of partisanship and procedural violations.
Omisore, who spoke to journalists after appearing before the APC Appeal Committee on Saturday in Abuja, said the screening panel’s report lacked credibility and was influenced by external pressure.
The APC had earlier disqualified Omisore and six other aspirants over alleged failure to meet certain requirements.
However, the former deputy governor dismissed the grounds of the disqualification, insisting that neither he nor the other aspirants had been formally informed of any specific infractions.
“That panel report is the biggest joke of the year. It is unfortunate that partisanship has been taken 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,” Omisore said.
He alleged that the panel chairman privately admitted coming under pressure to disqualify all the major aspirants in favour of a preferred candidate.
“The chairman told us he was under pressure. Unfortunately, we are all victims of this,” Omisore added.
He questioned the basis of the panel’s claim that the aspirants lacked the required number of nominators, arguing that the party leadership has full access to the membership register and should have verified the details.
“He who alleges must prove,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the National Working Committee (NWC) would overturn the decision, noting that the issues raised by the panel underscored deeper divisions within the Osun APC.
“Even the committee’s own report said the party is factionalised and at risk of losing the election. So what exactly are we talking about?”he queried.
Omisore said all the seven disqualified aspirants will appear individually before the appeal panel, maintaining that the process must be guided by fairness and transparency
