The Osun State Integrity Support Group, representing seven governorship aspirants within the All Progressives Congress (APC), has raised an alarm over what it calls a deliberate attempt to illegally edge them out of the party’s 2026 governorship race.
In a statement released on Saturday, December 6, 2025, the group accused powerful figures inside the APC of orchestrating a “pre-arranged and unethical” disqualification process. According to them, the aspirants only learned of their disqualification after their names appeared on the APC website and were reported by The Punch, despite receiving no formal communication from the party. The development, they said, violates “every standard of party discipline and proper procedure.”
Group Links Alleged Plot to APC National Secretariat
The group claimed the controversial exercise was engineered by certain members of the APC National Working Committee acting on the influence of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Isiaka Oyetola.
They alleged that Oyetola is pushing to secure the party ticket for his preferred candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebanji, the current Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), ahead of the August 2026 governorship election.
Citing information from within the party’s national secretariat, the Integrity Support Group accused some officials of “selling out for personal gains,” adding that Oyetola’s allies have been invoking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s name to lend legitimacy to their plans — a move they described as both misleading and disrespectful to the President.
Secret Appeal Panel and Lack of Notification Raise Concerns
The group further alleged that loyalists of Oyetola had set up an Appeal Panel whose location was still unknown as of Friday, December 5, 2025.
They claimed the seven affected aspirants had not been invited or notified about the panel’s activities, suggesting that the aim was to later accuse them of failing to appear before the committee. They described the move as another calculated attempt to weaken the aspirants and guarantee an uncontested path for the NIWA boss.
Screening Committee Chairman Accused of Forgery
The statement also raised serious concerns about the conduct of the APC Screening Committee. The chairman, Chief Obinna Uzor, was accused of forging the signatures of Ambassador Usman Bayara and other committee members to present a minority report as the official outcome of the December 3–4 screening.
Reports indicate that Ambassador Bayara and four other members have rejected the “fraudulent document,” insisting they will not support any manipulation of the process. The group added that the authentic majority report—which conflicts with the disqualification list—will first be submitted to President Tinubu before being released to the public.
Alleged Electoral Violations by NIWA Boss
The group also alleged that Mr. Munirudeen Bola Oyebanji has not resigned from his position at NIWA as required by law, party rules, and the Electoral Act as of December 6, 2025.
They claimed that Oyetola plans to produce a backdated resignation letter should the matter be challenged, accusing those involved of trying to “manufacture legality to justify illegality.”
The officials mentioned in the alleged scheme include APC National Secretary Suraj Ajibola, National Organising Secretary Alhaji Suleiman Argungu, and Deputy National Organising Secretary Nze Chidi Duru. None of them has publicly responded to the allegations.
Aspirants Appeal to President Tinubu
On behalf of the disqualified aspirants, the Osun State Integrity Support Group called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene immediately to safeguard transparency and fairness in the selection process.
They also urged President Tinubu to stop the NIWA Managing Director from taking part in the primaries due to the alleged violation of electoral guidelines.
The statement was signed by Dr. Gbenga Adekunle, Convener of the Osun State APC Integrity Support Group, Osogbo, speaking on behalf of all seven affected aspirants.
