The intention of the former Deputy Governor of Osun state, Chief Iyiola Omisore, a popular politician with grassroots appeal, to contest the Osun 2026 governorship – after three unsuccessful attempts – against the incumbent, Governor Ademola Adeleke and other contending gladiators has heightened the state’s political tension.
Background
The scramble to occupy the Chief Bola Ige’s House in Osogbo, Osun state, may have heightened political tension in the state with the entrance of Chief Iyiola Omisore, a man of acclaimed clouts and grassroots influence.
When he was impeached by the Osun state assembly in 2002, Chief Iyiola Omisore, the then deputy governor of Osun state between 1999 and 2003 under the Alliance for Democracy (AD), described his removal as a joke that would not stand, arguing that he had a subsisting court order restraining the law makers from doing what they did.
His turbulent relationship with the then governor, Chief Bisi Akande, Blueprint Weekend recalls, caused a lot of friction. It was so bad that it defied various interventions by the Afenifere, Yoruba elders, the party (AD) stalwarts and other stakeholders in the state. The embattled Omisore eventually lost as his boss, Chief Akande, and the lawmakers who had leveled allegations against him appear to be too powerful for him to outdo.
However, after putting all that transpired behind him, he has continued to influence, not only the state political direction but he has also contested as governor before without any success.
His loss each time he contested, according to pundits in the Osun political space, was not as a result of not being popular or lack of funds to prosecute his ambition; they cited the political atmosphere back then, his travails and activities of other actors as the greatest setback.
He later became a senator representing Osun East from 2003 to 2011. He was also the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee during his time in the National Assembly. In 2014, he contested the Osun governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a contest that was regarded as the fiercest and tension-soaked election but lost to the then incumbent Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
After a brief stint with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) under which he contested the 2018 election, Omisore later joined the APC in 2021. Until about a few months ago, Omisore was the APC National Secretary, who alongside others helped galvanise votes that ensured the victory of then presidential candidate but now President Bola Tinubu.
Although his main challenger, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP won in Osun, it was not a bad outing for the ruling APC, which also proved its mettle at the poll.
The Tinubu’s factor
Omisore, now a frontline aspirant for the ruling party’s governorship ticket, according to feeler, waited for the right time to make his declaration having sensed that the immediate past governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, who is now the minister of Marine and Blue Economy, will no longer run for the position the second time as earlier speculated.
Although the incumbent, Senator Ademola Adeleke, enjoyed a popular mandate which rail-road him into the seat, this time around, Omisore’s entrance may have changed the political atmosphere as more APC members are buying into his project.
Oluseyi Akanji, a political analyst, in an exclusive chat with Blueprint Weekend said the current alignment, re-alignment, power shift, the Tinubu factor, Omisore’s popularity and the permutation ahead of 2027 may have changed a lot of variables, which may likely trouble Adeleke. “It won’t be an easy ride for Adeleke again as Omisore is like a big elephant that cannot be pushed down easily,” Akanji said.
As the Osun politics enters a new phase, unconfirmed rumour has it that Omisore’s ambition may have received President Tinubu’s endorsement. A dependable source within APC divulged to our correspondent that Aso Rock needs a heavyweight politician like Omisore to give Aregbesola, Adeleke and Atiku a run for their money in 2027.
Before now, Omisore was said to have made up his mind to give full attention and support for Oyetola based on the directive. But when he decided not to run, he reportedly consulted President Tinubu to seek his views on the 2026 gubernatorial race. “That’s not to say I have not been to the president to take his consent. He has always asked me about the fate of our party come 2026,” Omisore said.
He posited that he had actually informed him (the president) about his preparedness to run for the governorship ticket of APC in Osun to change the narrative. “If you look at the real political challenges facing the state now, one realises that the battle to rescue the state from the current poor governance and inept administration will not be a child’s play,” he said.
It would be recalled that Atiku who married from the state coasted to victory owing to what analysts traced to the Arebesola factor on one side, division within APC on the other hand and the Adeleke/PDP political bulldozer that was too much for the ruling APC back then to contain.
To give his entrance a boost, at the formal declaration at the Osun APC Secretariat in Ogo-Oluwa in Osogbo a few days ago, Omisore was quoted to have said his action was borne out of deep reflection and wide consultation with relevant stakeholders and the people.
According to Omisore who themed his declaration as “Fix the Broken, Restore Our Dreams,” the former party national scribe said his campaign would focus on restoring hope, strengthening governance, and delivering a brighter future for the people of the state.
He said, “This is not just my mission; it is a collective one. I humbly invite you to join me as we take this bold step towards the Osun Rescue Mission 2026.”
The hurdles
For keen followers of this development, it would not be difficult to conclude that the age-long rivalry between Aregbesola and Omisore has snowballed into political enmity because as of today, they are not the best of friends. Even though the latter had denied it at different fora, those who are close to them insist that all is still not well between them. Aregbesola had on two occasions defeated Omisore at the polls, thereby preventing him from actualising his governorship ambition.
Omisore has Aregbesola, a stalwart of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to contend with as the former minister is not only working secretly for Atiku, according to reports, but that he is also said to be planning to field one of his close associates from Iwo as a governorship contender. The move, it was learnt, is not only to demonstrate his political acumen, but to also dwarf Omisore, Adeleke and Oyetola’s political influence in the state.
Adeleke is definitely not resting on his oars. While confirming Adeleke’s readiness to crush all oppositions in 2026, his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Muniru Raji, maintained that Osun voters have continued to express their support for Adeleke and his re-election ambitions, boasting that they have been backing Adeleke since 2018, 2022, now and ahead of the 2026 governorship election, adding: “We have their solid backing.”
An analyst, Mr. Dapo Ipoola, has predicted that the Osun 2026 is for APC’s take if it fields Omisore, saying he holds the ace in delivering the state to the progressive kit. According to him, Omisore, a master political strategist, has what it takes to match the present occupant.
“Despite all these administrative and political ineffectuality that have almost consumed the state, there is a way out – the need for an experienced person to preside over the affairs of the state. Retooling the administrative incongruity of Osun state requires the political and administrative wizardry of the likes of Senator Iyiola Omisore. Politically, he has been around for a very long time with a quantum of experience to change the ugly narratives of administrative fiasco,” he said.
The electioneering is fast approaching and the gladiators will soon lock horns. Who will eventually coast home to victory?
Credit: Blueprint.ng
