Former APC National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, has strongly condemned the report that disqualified him from participating in the Osun State governorship primary, describing it as “the jokest report” of the year.

On Friday, the APC screening committee, chaired by Chief Obinna Uzoh, barred Omisore and six other aspirants from contesting the party’s governorship primary slated for December 13. The panel said the aspirants failed to provide evidence of sponsorship by at least five duly registered and financially up-to-date party members in each local government area, as required by party guidelines.

Those disqualified include:

·         Iyiola Omisore

·         Babatunde Haketer Oralusi

·         Oyedotun Babayemi

·         Akin Ogunbiyi

·         Benedict Olugboyega Alabi

·         Adegoke Rasheed Okiki (SAN)

·         Babajide Omoworare

Only Mulikat Abiola Jimoh and Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji were cleared to contest the primary.

Speaking to journalists on Saturday after appearing before the APC Screening Appeal Panel, Omisore alleged that the committee chairman told them he received a call instructing him to disqualify all the affected aspirants. He also claimed there were multiple versions of the screening report and that the one submitted to the party secretariat was “not the original.”

“We’re in December, abi? That’s the jokest report of this year. It’s so unfortunate that people are taking partisanship beyond politics,” he said.

Omisore further complained that none of the disqualified aspirants had been officially served with the report detailing the grounds for their exclusion.

“We haven’t been written to. So, what are the bases of the disqualification? You said we didn’t have nominators, five per local government. But the law says, he who alleges must prove. They should have used another method to disqualify us,” he added.

He argued that the exclusion of experienced politicians like himself was unjustified, maintaining that their political pedigree should have counted for something.

“If people of our pedigree are being disqualified, that means you’re pointing at failures. But you know from our pedigree that the word disqualification wasn’t the right word to use for us because we are germane in this thing. We are the veterans!” he stated.

Omisore concluded by noting that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) has access to the party’s membership database, stressing that the situation requires caution and fairness in handling the matter.