President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday night met with all governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State amid rising tension within the party.
The meeting, which took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, brought together every aspirant except Senator Iyiola Omisore. Among those present was Chief Muniru Oyebanji, a former Commissioner for Economic Development in Osun and widely regarded as the leading contender for the APC ticket.
Recent reports alleging that Oyebanji had been adopted as the party’s preferred candidate had caused friction, prompting opposition from about 14 aspirants reportedly led by Omisore.
Screening Disputes Deepen Crisis
Last Saturday, the APC Screening Committee disqualified Omisore and six other aspirants from participating in the December 13 Osun governorship primary. The panel cited irregularities in their nomination documents but urged stakeholders to close ranks for the sake of party stability.
Omisore, however, dismissed the entire screening process, describing it as “the jokest report of the year.” He accused the committee of submitting multiple conflicting documents and insisted that the report presented at the APC secretariat was not the authentic version.
According to him, “The panel members have two or three reports. The one taken to the secretariat wasn’t the original. None of us has been told why we were disqualified.”
He argued that the decision was not only baseless but politically irresponsible:
“When you disqualify people like us, where do we go from there? The party is pointing at failure.”
Strong Allegations Against Oyetola
Omisore further accused the chairman of the screening panel of admitting that he acted under pressure from the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
He claimed Oyetola instructed that every aspirant be disqualified to clear the way for his preferred candidate, Wale Oyebamiji.
“He told us that Minister Oyetola called him and insisted all of us must be disqualified so his poster boy, Oyebamiji, can emerge,” Omisore alleged.
When asked directly whether the panel chairman made such an admission, he replied:
“Yes, he told us he was under pressure. Unfortunately, we are all caught in the middle of it.”
Looking Ahead
The Osun State governorship election is scheduled for August 8, 2026, and the internal wrangling has raised questions about the APC’s readiness for the polls.
