Osun Rerun: What Is Omisore Up To?

There is confusion presently as to which political party between the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) truly has the support of Senator Iyiola Omisore ahead of tomorrow’s Osun State governorship election rerun.

At first, reports had it that Omisore, who is the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the Osun election, would be helping PDP’s Ademola Adeleke to defeat candidate of the APC, Isiaka Oyetola, in the rerun poll slated for Thursday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC had declared the initial election “inconclusive” and ordered a rerun after observing that the number of cancelled votes (3, 498) in the poll exceeded the difference of 353 between votes earned by two of the leading aspirants in the election.

PDP’s Ademola had polled 254, 699 votes against APC’s Oyetole, who got 254, 345 votes, leaving the difference of 353.

The development has seen the leadership of both parties making advances at Omisore, who came third with 128,049 votes, in a bid to get him to give their individual candidates the leverage required to determine a winner in the poll.

After meeting with Omisore on Tuesday in Ile-Ife, Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, had expressed assurance that the SDP gubernatorial candidate would support PDP’s Adeleke to defeat Oyetola of the APC.

“The meeting was highly successful and promising. That is why you see us laughing together after the meeting. I can assure you that the meeting was promising and it will help Osun State,” Saraki had said, adding that, “It was a promising meeting for Osun State and we do hope that the outcome of the meeting will help democracy and help Osun State”.

Omisore had followed up with a reassuring tweet after the Senate President’s statement, saying “Thank you, your Excellency, the Senate President, Senator @bukolasaraki for the visit, together we shall make Osun great again.”

The tweet by the SDP governorship aspirant had made political observers conclude that the PDP had secured his support to help the opposition party validate its supposed victory at the September 22 election.

But in a twist on Wednesday, reports emerged that the APC had also received the assurances of Mr Omisore to work with the ruling party’s candidate in the rerun election. It was equally alleged that the APC offered the SDP candidate a whopping N480 million and senatorial ticket on its platform to help its candidate win the rerun poll.

“On Saturday, Adams Oshiomole [APC National Chairman] called Iyiola Omisore a murderer and by Wednesday he offered him 480 million and the APC senatorial ticket. I trust that Iyiola will remember that dining with the devil is a risky business: the bible says what profiteth a man to gain the world and lose his soul,” said a former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, in a Wednesday tweet.

But in an ensuing development, Mr Omisore reportedly met with his supporters on Wednesday, asking them to exercise their free will in deciding their next governor in the rerun election.

The stand of the SDP governorship candidate was made known in a press release by his media aide, Jide Fakorede.

The statement said, “After over 72 hours of pressure on him by both the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has said that what is paramount to him is the practice of true democracy in Osun State,” adding that, “Omisore firmly states that he will never renege on his promise of good governance, accountability and human dignity in Osun state.”

Fakorede quoted Omisore as stating that, “I am telling my people that they should go with any political party that believes in what we in the SDP stand for: good governance, social justice and accountability. I have already detailed how we planned to restore Osun to the path of good governance through the five thematic pillars in the manifesto I shared during the electioneering. I will not negotiate for personal gains and abandon my people.

“My alliance is with the people of Osun state irrespective of the political party they belong. I want my people to be treated with the dignity they deserve. I desire that they have a government that will be accountable to them. I want them to experience the good governance the founding fathers of this state envisaged. I have told the parties that have solicited for my support to approach the electorates and ask for their mandate as I have assured them that I will not coerce them for political or social power. It is because I have kept my promise that has made me enjoyed their unalloyed support all these years” said the SDP governorship candidate’s media aide.

Omisore further asked his supporters to vote whoever candidate they feel will deliver on the key manifestos of the SDP. He identified such as improving governance, eliminating financial reckless and reposition the economy of Osun state among others.

Barring any last minute change in Omisore’s decision, the fate of both candidates of the PDP and APC may have been left to be decided by the electorate who will be voting tomorrow at the seven polling units where election results were initially cancelled.