Former Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has denied allegations of sabotaging the screening process for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary. This process led to the disqualification of several aspirants in the state.

These claims emerged from Omisore. He alleged that the panel chairman confessed to receiving a call from Minister Gboyega Oyetola. According to Omisore, Oyetola reportedly demanded the disqualification of all aspirants to favour his preferred candidate, Oyebamiji. Omisore quoted the chairman saying he was “under pressure.”

The APC Screening Committee had on Friday barred Omisore and six other aspirants. The committee cited inconsistencies and gaps in their nomination documents for the December 13 primary. These disqualifications sparked the current claims.

Alongside Omisore, others disqualified 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.

However, Bolaji Akinola, Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, dismissed these claims. He labelled them “baseless, misleading, and totally false.”

Akinola stated that Oyetola had no direct or indirect involvement in the decisions of the Screening Committee or the Appeal Panel. He emphasized that both bodies are “independent organs of the party.” They are “fully empowered by the APC Constitution.”

“Oyetola neither interfered nor could have interfered in the screening exercise or the affairs of the screening bodies,” Akinola affirmed. He added that the former governor consistently upholds fairness, transparency, and due process in his political career.

Akinola urged aggrieved aspirants to use the party’s internal mechanisms for complaints and dispute resolution. He also appealed for calm among all party stakeholders.

Finally, Akinola reiterated Oyetola’s commitment to APC unity in Osun. He also stressed Oyetola’s dedication to the overall welfare of the state’s residents.