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By Myke Agunwa
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has narrowed down its governorship aspirants in Osun State to two persons after disqualifying seven aspirants, including Senator Iyiola Omisore who was a former Deputy Governor and 2018 APC flag-bearer, for failing to meet mandatory sponsorship requirements under the party’s constitution.
Other disqualified aspirants are Babatunde Haketer Oralusi, Oyedotun Babayemi, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, Benedict Alabi (former Deputy Governor), Adegoke Rasheed Okiki, and Senator Babajide Omoworare (ex-Senator for Osun East) while Mulikat Abiola Jimoh and Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji were cleared to participate in the primary election.
The Screening Committee, chaired by Chief Obinna Uzoh (Esq.) and sat at Amor Hotel, Katampe, Abuja, on December 4, announced the disqualifications in its report, citing non-compliance with Articles 9.3(i) and 31.2(ii) of the APC Constitution and Paragraph 6(c) of the party’s guidelines. The panel required evidence of sponsorship by at least five fully registered and financially up-to-date party members from each of Osun’s 30 Local Government Areas, a threshold the seven aspirants allegedly fell short of.
The decision stemmed from a petition by the Osun APC Renewal Group alleging irregularities in some nominations. Rather than targeting select individuals, the committee applied uniform scrutiny to all nine aspirants, leading to their disqualification. “We extended the same rigorous verification to every candidate to ensure fairness and transparency,” Uzoh stated in the report, which now awaits ratification by the National Working Committee (NWC).
The outcome has ignited fury within Osun APC ranks, with sources close to the disqualified aspirants labelling it “politically motivated” and a “premeditated ambush” to favour loyalists ahead of the 2026 polls.
Omisore, a two-term Senator and key architect of the APC’s 2018 Osun victory, was viewed as the frontrunner with strong grassroots appeal. “This is not about documents; it’s about silencing voices that dare to challenge the godfathers,” a campaign aide to Omisore told reporters.
Another aspirant, Benedict Alabi who was obviously dissatisfied with the report said, “We met every requirement in spirit and letter. This reeks of internal sabotage, but we won’t be intimidated.”
An emergency caucus of the affected aspirants has been convened in Osogbo late Friday, with insiders confirming plans to file appeals to the NWC within 48 hours. “They’re rallying legal firepower and mobilising stakeholders. Ratification could be their last stand,” said Dr. Wole Ogunleye, a political analyst at Obafemi Awolowo University.
The state, a PDP bastion since 2018, saw incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke resign from the PDP on November 4, 2025, citing the party’s “prolonged national leadership crisis” that derailed its December 2 primary. Adeleke, who won in 2022 under PDP colours, has not named his next platform but is widely speculated to eye the APC, Accord Party or African Democratic Congress (ADC) for re-election.
The APC primary, slated for mid-December, will pit the survivor against Adeleke in what analysts predict as Osun’s fiercest contest since the 2022.