A former National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore, has criticised the party’s decision to bar him from participating in the Osun State governorship primary, describing the action as biased and procedurally flawed.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Saturday after meeting with the APC Screening Appeal Panel, Omisore accused former Osun Governor and Minister of Marine Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, of influencing the screening process to favour Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.

The APC Screening Committee had earlier disqualified Omisore and six other aspirants over alleged irregularities in their nomination documents. Those affected include Babatunde Oralusi, Oyedotun Babayemi, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, Benedict Alabi, Adegoke Rasheed Okiki, and Senator Babajide Omoworare.

The committee said the aspirants failed to provide evidence of sponsorship from at least five financially up-to-date party members per local government area, as required by the APC Constitution and party guidelines. Only Mulikat Abiola Jimoh and Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji were cleared for the December 13 primary.

Omisore dismissed the justification for the disqualification, saying no formal communication was issued to any of the aspirants detailing the alleged breaches. He claimed the screening panel produced multiple reports and that the document submitted to the party secretariat was not the original version.

He also faulted the committee’s claim that some aspirants did not meet the required number of nominators, stressing that the party already had full access to its membership register.

Omisore argued that the disqualification raised broader concerns about transparency within the Osun APC and insisted that the National Working Committee would likely revisit the matter.

He added that all the aspirants were subjected to the same process and therefore could not be selectively disqualified, noting that the development signalled growing division within the state chapter of the party.