By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress APC in Osun State deepened on Saturday after six of the seven disqualified governorship aspirants, led by former National Secretary of the party, Senator Iyiola Omisore, rejected the decision of the screening panel, describing it as a politically-motivated hatchet job that threatens the party’s electoral chances.
Only two of the nine aspirants who appeared before the screening committee were cleared, while seven—including Omisore—were disqualified. Omooba Dotun Babayemi was not part of the complainants.
Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved aspirants, Omisore dismissed the report as “the jokest report of the year,” alleging that the panel submitted multiple contradictory documents and that the version taken to the party secretariat was not the authentic report.
“We are aware that the panel members have two, three reports. The one taken to the secretariat wasn’t the original report. As we speak today, none of us has seen their report or why we were disqualified,” Omisore said, insisting that their political pedigree made the decision laughable.
“You can see for yourself that when you disqualify people like us in any contest, where do we go from there? The party is pointing at failure”, he added.
The former APC National Secretary further made a damning allegation against the chairman of the screening panel, claiming he admitted that the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and former Osun State governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, ordered that all the aspirants be disqualified to pave the way for his preferred candidate, Wale Oyebamiji.
“He told us that Minister Gboyega Oyetola called him that they must disqualify all of us because he wants his lackey, his poster boy, Oyebamiji,” Omisore said.
When asked to clarify whether the panel chairman indeed made such a confession, he responded, “Yes, he told us that he was under pressure. Unfortunately, we are in it together.”
Omisore, who has so far been the only one among the disqualified aspirants to meet with the appeal panel, said he demanded to know the specific allegations against them since none had been communicated.
According to him, the claim that they failed to secure the required five nominators per local government was baseless.
“The law says he who alleges must prove. They should have used another method to disqualify us,” he said.
Although the screening report contained a proviso empowering the National Working Committee NWC to overrule the panel, Omisore rejected any speculation that the NWC might uphold the disqualification.
“You can’t shave my head for me. Why don’t you say the NWC will cancel the report of the panel? Why are you pessimistic?
“The NWC in their own wisdom have the list of our party members, and we have over 13,000 members who are financiers. All of us aspirants are guilty of the same thing, the same system, the same way. That’s the issue, and it calls for caution”, he said.
Asked about the implication of the crisis for the party’s chances in the forthcoming governorship election, Omisore was blunt, pointing to even media reports acknowledging the divisions within the APC.
“You reported that the party is factionalized. Even the committee wrote there that the party is likely to lose the election. So what are you talking about?” he said.
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