The fight for the Bola Ige House, as the Osun State Governor’s Office is called, is heating up with about nine months to the election. Before then, the primaries for the parties’ tickets have to be settled, with the immediate past National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore, throwing his hat into the ring.
Those in the know told the Sunday Telegraph that the fight for the APC ticket is between Omisore and the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Agency (NIWA), Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji. He is said to be the protégé of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and former governor, Gboyega Oyetola.
At the beginning, Oyetola was supposed to run for a second term and take the ticket. However, after some considerations, including talks about his age and other issues, he was asked not to bother himself too much. His group now said, “Let us give this guy the ticket.”
The Ileri Oluwa Group, as his Political Group is called, was quoted as saying. “It is going to be very tough,” according to a Chieftain of the party. “Iyiola Omisore thought that it should be his turn naturally.
He considers himself one of the leaders of the party in Osun State, and he has paid his dues over time, even in Osun politics, having served as deputy governor and a senator at one time. He believes that he has the status and the wherewithal as well as the political following to pick the prize”, an APC leader in the state said.
There is an attempt to forge a common front. However, the Oyetola Group believes that Omisore would be a hard sell; that if anybody wants to make an appreciable impact and fight the incumbent, it should be somebody, who has the widespread tentacles, and they believe that they have the wherewithal to do that.
And they are banking on the support of Aso Rock for him. But the incumbent, Senator Ademola Adeleke, is not sitting pretty. Some of his supporters prefer Omisore to emerge with the ticket. They believe that it would be easier to square up with him.
They believe that he has so much baggage. “And of course, you know what happened between him and the Late Bola Ige, as well as the former APC Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, when he served as his deputy. He was accused of wanting to remove the governor. That was why he was removed as Akande’s deputy.”
Said another source. In 2002, 17 of the 26 members of the Osun State House of Assembly endorsed the impeachment of Omisore. They accused him of breach of oath of office and conflict of interest with the state government.
Also, they accused Omisore of divulging official secrets of the State Executive Council as well as dragging the state government to court over a $1.5 million water chemical contract. It is going to be a very tough battle, as some people believe that if Omisore does not get the ticket, he may play a spoiler’s game.
He may work behind the scenes against the interests of the APC if he does not get the ticket. But the people backing Oyebamiji believe that he has the clout. Two weeks ago, Omisore tested his street credibility campaign in Osogbo.
He was everywhere. Some people insinuated that he was fixed on putting his card on the table. “When you look at the Aregbesola factor in Osun politics, the Aregbesola African Democratic Congress (ADC), they say this time around, they are going to run on their own popularity.
They are also strategising and ensuring that they put somebody in the front. The Aregbesola factor cannot also be discountenanced,” added another Source. Further, the Source said: “Obviously, now, we have the PDP, whose house is in order, the APC whose house is divided. The ADC, whose major rallying point is Aregbesola.
For now, the crisis in the APC is epochal. We learnt that at some point, before the primaries, what happened at Ekiti will also happen in Osun, whereby one of the aspirants will be disqualified. They saw him as a major contender, and they do not want to go into the election with a divided house.”
