Osun Guber: APC Disqualifies Omisore, Six Others
.Umar Sani: Adeleke doesn’t want PDP to field candidate for guber election
.Court asked to nullify Accord Party’s primary, affirm national chairman’s suspension
Adedayo Akinwale and Alex Enumah in Abuja and
Melissa Enoch
Ahead of the December 13 Osun State governorship primary, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Screening Committee has disqualified former APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore and six other aspirants. The committee cited gaps and irregularities in their nomination processes.
This was as a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Sani, has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke of attempting to prevent the party from producing a candidate ahead of the forthcoming gubernatorial election, insisting that the governor’s political manoeuvres are designed to secure his own personal survival rather than protect the party’s interests.
In another development, a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has been asked to set aside and nullify the issuance of any statutory notices, particularly the notice of ward congress for the Osun governorship and the notice of primary in any part of the country in the name of the Accord Party.
The Screening Committee led by Chief Obinna Uzoh concluded its proceedings on December 4, 2025, and submitted its report to the APC National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja, yesterday.
The committee in its reports said the disqualified aspirants including; Omisore, Babatunde Oralusi, Oyedotun Babayemi, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, Benedict Alabi, Adegoke Rasheed Okiki, and Sen. Babajide Omoworare, did not submit proof of sponsorship from at least five fully registered and financially current party members from each Local Government Area in Osun State, as stipulated by Articles 9.3(i) and 31.2(ii) of the APC Constitution and Paragraph 6(c) of the party guidelines.
The committee added that only Mulikat Jimoh and Munirudeen Oyebamiji were approved to participate in the primary election.
The committee stated, “In carrying out its assignment, the Committee adopted the following screening process:
“Examination of documents and materials, all forms, declarations, supporting materials, and attachments submitted by aspirants were thoroughly reviewed to verify their authenticity and compliance with statutory and party requirements.
“Each aspirant underwent a structured interview session during which the Committee assessed their knowledge of party rules, personal preparedness, adherence to nomination requirements, and overall suitability.
“This methodology ensured a transparent, fair, and objective evaluation process.”
The report revealed that the Committee received a petition from the Osun APC Renewal Group calling for the disqualification of the two aspirants who were said to have failed to meet the mandatory nomination requirements set out in the APC Constitution and the party’s guidelines for the governorship primary.
It added, “Upon careful review, the Committee found the issues raised in the petition to be weighty, substantial, and relevant 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 Oyebanji, 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.
“The Committee observed that seven aspirants—Sen. Iyiola Omisore, Babatunde Oralusi, Mr. Oyedotun Babayemi, Dr. Akinade Ogunbiyi, Benedict Alabi, Adegoke Adekunle, and Sen. Babajide Omoworare—failed to meet the mandatory nomination requirement of being sponsored by five fully registered and financially up-to-date members from each Local Government Area, contrary to Articles 9.3(i) and 31.2(ii) of the APC Constitution, as well as Paragraph 6(c) of the APC Guidelines for the 2025 Governorship Primary.”
The Committee lamented that the party’s structure in Osun State continues to be deeply divided.
It, therefore, recommended that the national leadership immediately establish a robust reconciliation mechanism to unify all factions and groups.
It was of the opinion that a harmonised party was essential for a credible primary and success at the gubernatorial election.
It noted, “To foster broad inclusion and minimise feelings of marginalisation, the party should ensure that political appointments, party offices, and campaign roles are evenly distributed across all zones, blocs, and interest groups within the state.
“The Committee expresses its profound gratitude to the NWC and the leadership of the APC for the confidence reposed in us, the members, to undertake this important assignment. We affirm our unwavering commitment to the principles of fairness and credibility that define our party.”
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS yesterday, Sani said, “Governor Adeleke does not want PDP to field a candidate. He believes that there is a problem within the PDP, whose signature will be recognised by INEC and so forth and so on.
“He’s trying to move to another party, and according to him, that he will now get the seat and then return back to PDP. And PDP says, no, we cannot do that. What we want is we want somebody to run on our platform. Because what will the party look like if we have a platform and we do not use anybody on that platform? Then how will other people be reacting to other platforms? They will run away and give the same excuse. Let me go and get something from somewhere else and come back. So we said, no, anybody who wants to contest must use our platform. And so that’s why we conducted primary, it was not hijacked by anybody, it was done peacefully, it was all over the social media, it was done peacefully.”
Responding to arguments that Adeleke’s strategy may be pragmatic—given the uncertainty over which PDP faction INEC may eventually recognise, Sani maintained that the governor has the constitutional right to defect, but must not hinder the party from presenting its own candidate.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m not supposed to support or oppose his decision,” he said. “His decision is entirely his. He who wears the shoe knows where it pinches most. So if he decides to go, then he should not allow the party that he’s leaving, not to field another candidate in his own place.
“Nobody is saying he cannot go. It’s a constitutional right for him to go anywhere he wants to go. But let him not also be a stumbling block to our own party fielding a candidate. That is just the major argument. It is not about whether his going is right or wrong or whether it was a smart move to move somewhere else.”
Addressing speculation that the PDP may be fielding a placeholder pending the resolution of the party’s internal issues, Sani confirmed that the party already has a candidate produced through its primaries.
“As it is now, we have a candidate. But a candidate can be a placeholder and a placeholder can be a candidate. So in any case, there is a period where we are allowed to make substitutions. So if we want to make substitutions, we can make substitutions. But as it is now, we have a candidate who has emerged from the primaries.”
On the Accord Party, the FCT High Court was further asked to set aside and nullify the acceptance, recognition and publication of the name of any candidate submitted to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by Maxwell Mgbudem or any other person other than the claimant, Oliver Bitrus, who claims to be the lawful acting National Chairman of the party.
Claimant in addition wants the court to affirm the suspension of Mgbudem as National Chairman of Accord Party.
He predicated his request on the grounds that Mgbudem, and his deputy National Chairman, Chief Okey Nwosu, have already been suspended over allegations of anti-party activities and have been replaced with Prof. Chris Imumolen
In an originating summons marked FCT/CV/4955/2025, filed on December 3, 2025, Bitrus listed Accord Party, Mgbudem and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants respectively.
Meanwhile, the claimant through his counsel, Daniel Edeachi, has urged the court to grant an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the 2nd defendant (Maxwell Mgbudem) from further parading or holding out himself as the National Chairman of Accord Party, carrying out any duty relating to that office, pending the lifting of his suspension.
Bitrus is further seeking an order of court restraining INEC from according the 2nd defendant (Maxwell Mgbudem) any recognition as the National Chairman of Accord Party, accepting and recognising any primary election conducted, candidate nominated and submitted by him in relation to any election or giving effect to his actions whatsoever.
In the fresh suit, the claimant is seeking many reliefs including: “A declaration that upon a calm and community reading of the provisions of Section 223 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended), Section 82 (1), and 84(1), (2) and (3) of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as Amended) and Articles 18(1), and 20 (b) & (c), of the Constitution of the Accord Party, vis a vis the suspension of the National chairman of the Party (the 2 Defendant), the 2 defendant cannot validly sign any notice on behalf of the party, constitute any committee in the name of the party, summon and preside over any meeting of the one per cent defendant until the conclusion of the disciplinary action against him.
“A declaration that upon the community reading of the provisions of Section 223 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended), Section 82 (1), and 84(1), (2) and (3) of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as Amended) and Articles 18(1), and 20 (b) & (c) , of the Constitution of the party, the 3” defendant cannot accept, recognise, sanction and/or cognizance any action of the suspended 2nd defendant pending the determination of the disciplinary action against him.
