Osun Guber: My Disqualification Was Influenced By Oyetola- Omisore
•By Admin
ABUJA – THE Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and former governor of Osun state, Gboyega Oyetola has been linked to the disqualification of Iyola Omisore and six others from the Osun governorship race.
Recall that the report of the screening committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) led by Chief Obinna Uzoh, which was submitted on Friday to the party National Working Committee (NWC) had disqualified Omisore and six others while two qualified out of the nine contestants.
The six contestants, who were disqualified ahead of the party primary scheduled for December 13th are, Babatunde Haketer Oralusi, Mr. Oyedotun Babayemi, Dr. Akinade Akanmu Ogunbiyi, Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, Adegoke Rasheed Okiki Adekunle, and Sen. Babajide Omoworare.
The two aspirants, who were cleared by the screening committee are; Mulikat Abiola Jimoh and Munirudeen Bola Oyebanji.
Addressing newsmen on Saturday in Abuja shortly after appearing before the appeal panel, Omisore said that the panel Chairman told them that the Minister, Oyetola said they must disqualify all of them.
Omisore, who alleged that external political influence had infiltrated the screening and primary process, said, “the party is pointing at failure and the chairman of the panel told us that Minister Gboyega Oyetola called him that they must disqualify all of us because he wants his lackey, his poster boy, Oyebamiji.
“We are the veterans! You can see for yourself that where you have disqualified people like us in any contest, where do we go from there.”
Describing the panel’s report as unworthy of serious consideration, Omisore insisted that the entire process was tainted by bias and manipulation.
“Well, that panel report is the jokest report of the year. It is quite unfortunate that people have taken partisanship beyond politics. We are aware that the panel members have two, three reports. The one taken to the secretariat wasn’t the original report. As we speak today now, none of us has seen their report and why we were disqualified. But you can know from our pedigree that the disqualification wasn’t the right word to use for us because we are germane in this thing.”
When asked to confirm whether the chairman had indeed admitted to political pressure, Omisore affirmed the claim.
He said: “Yes, he told us that he was under pressures. Unfortunately, we are in it together.”
On the issue of appeals, Omisore explained that although other aspirants were yet to meet the appeal committee, they shared similar grievances.
“I am the only one that have met them. But we have the same reservations. So far, so good all of us will meet the appeal panel individually. But I asked them, what are the allegations, because we haven’t seen any. We haven’t been written. So, what are the basis of the disqualification? You said we didn’t have nominators, five per local government. But the law says, he who alleges must prove. They should have used another method to disqualify us.”
Reacting to the proviso that the National Working Committee could overturn the screening panel’s decision, Omisore dismissed any suggestion of inevitable failure.
He said: “You can’t shave my head for me. Why don’t you say, the NWC will cancel the report of the panel? Why are you pessimistic? As a person, I look forward to good things in my life. The NWC in their own wisdom, they have the list of members of the party and we have over 13,000 members of the party who are financiers. And all of us aspirants are guilty of the same thing, the same system, the same way. That’s the issue and it calls for caution.”
Asked about the party’s chances in the forthcoming election given the internal crisis, Omisore referenced earlier media reports and the committee’s own findings.
He said: “Even in your report today, what did you write there? You reported that the party is factionalised, even the Committee wrote it there that the party is likely to lose election. So what are you talking about?”
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