Osun Guber Primaries: Omisore, six other aspirants screened out

By Tom Okpe

6 December 2025

News

Ahead of the Osun State Primary Election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has screened out its former National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore and six other contestants from the governorship race.

The party’s primary election comes up on the 13th of December, 2025, with the winner slugging it out with the incumbent Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on the platform of whichever party he chooses to run for since dumping the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The shadow election, which is an off-cycle poll, comes up on August 8th, 2026

The party’s Screening Committee on Friday, while submitting its report to the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) at the party’s National Secretariat, Buhari House, Abuja, disqualified seven out of the nine aspirants who appeared for the screening exercise.

The report of the Committee led by Chief Obinna Uzoh, which was held on Thursday, December 4, 2025, cited failure to meet the mandatory nomination requirements as the reason for the disqualification of the seven aspirants.

According to the committee, the disqualified aspirants are Senator Iyiola Omisore, Babatunde Haketer Oralusi, Oyedotun Babayemi, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi, Benedict Alabi, Adegoke Rasheed Okiki, and Senator Babajide Omoworare.

The Committee Chairman, Uzoh, also alleged that the affected aspirants failed to provide evidence of sponsorship by at least five 5, registered and financially up-to-date party members from each Local Government Area in Osun State, as required under Articles 9.3 (i) and 31.2 (ii) of the APC Constitution and Paragraph 6 (c) of the party’s guidelines.

“Only two aspirants were cleared to contest the primary election: Mulikat Abiola Jimoh and Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji,” he declared.

The Committee stated that “This decision followed a petition by the Osun APC Renewal Group alleging irregularities in the nomination process of some aspirants. Rather than applying the petition selectively, the panel extended strict scrutiny to all nine candidates, leading to the mass disqualification.

“The decision, however, is subject to ratification by the NWC,” which the chairman said, “has sent shockwaves through the Osun APC, with sources close to the affected aspirants describing the outcome as politically motivated,” vowing to challenge it.

Recall that Senator Iyiola Omisore, a heavyweight in Osun politics and former deputy governor, was widely seen as one of the frontrunners in the state governorship race.

His disqualification, alongside that of other prominent figures such as former Deputy Governor Benedict Alabi and ex-Senator Babajide Omoworare, effectively narrows the race dramatically.

According to party sources, an emergency meeting of the affected aspirants is already underway, with strong indications that appeals will be filed before the NWC.