Senator Iyiola Omisore, former National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has strongly criticized his disqualification from the party’s Osun governorship primary. He called the decision “a huge joke.” Omisore also accused the screening panel of bias and alleged procedural violations.

Omisore spoke to journalists in Abuja on Saturday, following his appearance before the APC Appeal Committee. He strongly denounced the screening panel’s report, questioning its credibility.

He claimed external pressure and partisanship influenced the panel’s actions. “The panel report is the biggest joke of the year,” Omisore stated. “Partisanship has unfortunately gone too far.”

Omisore revealed, “We know the panel produced multiple reports. The one submitted to the secretariat was not the original version.” He lamented, “None of us has seen the report, nor have we been told why we were disqualified.”

He further alleged that the panel chairman privately admitted to feeling pressure. This pressure, Omisore claimed, aimed to disqualify all major aspirants to favour a particular candidate. “The chairman told us he was under pressure. Unfortunately, we are all victims,” he concluded.

The former deputy governor also challenged the grounds for his disqualification. He specifically disputed the panel’s claim that aspirants lacked the required nominators.

Omisore argued that the party leadership had full access to the membership register. They should have verified these details before making such a claim. “He who alleges must prove,” Omisore asserted. He expressed confidence that the National Working Committee (NWC) would overturn the disqualification.

Omisore stressed that the issues raised by the panel highlighted deep divisions within the Osun APC. He noted that the committee’s own report acknowledged the party’s factionalization and warned of the risk of losing the upcoming election. “So what exactly are we talking about?” Omisore questioned rhetorically.

Omisore concluded by stating that all seven disqualified aspirants would individually appear before the appeal panel. He stressed the need for fairness and transparency in the appeal process, urging that the party’s decision must be based on integrity and due process.