Former Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has denied allegations that he interfered with the screening process which led to the disqualification of several governorship aspirants from the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election. The claims surfaced after Senator Iyiola Omisore and six other aspirants were barred by the APC Screening Committee for inconsistencies in their nomination documents. The disqualified candidates include former Deputy Governor Benedict Alabi, former presidential aide Babajide Omoworare, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kunle Adegoke, businessman Dotun Babayemi, insurance expert Akin Ogunbiyi, and Babatunde Oralusi.
Omisore, a former APC National Secretary, rejected the decision, calling it “the joke of the year.” He accused Oyetola of meddling to favor Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, one of the aspirants who cleared the screening. Omisore further alleged that the screening chairman admitted to being pressured to disqualify the candidates and claimed that Oyetola had instructed him to do so.
Oyetola’s camp has firmly rejected these accusations. Dr. Bolaji Akinola, Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, described the claims as “baseless, misleading, and totally false.” He emphasized that Oyetola had no involvement in the actions or decisions of either the Screening Committee or the Screening Appeal Panel, noting that both bodies operated independently in accordance with the APC Constitution. Akinola urged aggrieved aspirants to use the party’s internal mechanisms for complaints and dispute resolution and called for calm among party stakeholders.
The APC primary election is scheduled for December 13, and the controversy over the screening process has heightened tension within the party. Some aspirants are seeking to appeal the disqualification decision. Oyetola’s denial of interference aims to reassure party members of his commitment to fairness and transparency. The outcome of the screening appeal and the subsequent primary will be closely watched, as it could affect the party’s unity and the political landscape of Osun State.
Comments are closed for this story.