Former National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore, has faulted his disqualification from the party’s Osun governorship primary, describing the screening panel’s decision as “a huge joke” and alleging bias and procedural misconduct.

Addressing journalists after appearing before the APC Appeal Committee on Saturday in Abuja, Omisore dismissed the credibility of the screening panel’s report, claiming it was influenced by external interests.

“The panel’s report is the biggest joke of the year. It is unfortunate that partisanship has been taken to this level,” he said. “We know the panel produced multiple reports, and the one submitted to the secretariat was not the original. None of us has been shown the report or told the reason for our disqualification.”

He further alleged that the chairman of the panel privately confessed to being pressured to disqualify major aspirants in favour of a preferred candidate. “The chairman admitted he was under pressure. Sadly, we are all victims of this,” Omisore added.

The former deputy governor also questioned the basis for his disqualification, particularly the claim that aspirants lacked the required number of nominators. He argued that the party leadership, which has full access to the membership register, should have verified the information before making such an allegation.

“He who alleges must prove,” he stated, expressing confidence that the National Working Committee (NWC) would reverse the decision.

Omisore said the issues highlighted by the panel only underline deeper divisions within the Osun APC, noting that even the committee acknowledged the party’s factional crisis and the potential threat it poses to electoral success. “So, what exactly are we talking about?” he asked.

He concluded by confirming that all seven disqualified aspirants would appear individually before the appeal panel and urged that the process be guided by fairness, transparency, and adherence to due process.