Osun Guber Rerun: Omisore, the New Bride

By Eric Elezuo

Following the inconclusive nature of the Osun State governorship election held last Saturday which pitched the candidates of the Peoples Progressives Party (PDP) Ademola Adeleke and All Progressives Congress (APC), Gboyega Oyetola against each other in a rerun election fixed for Thursday, September, 27, 2018, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Iyiola Omisore, has suddenly turned the most sort after bride of Osun politics.

With a total vote of 254, 698 to beat his closest rival from the APC with 254, 345, the PDP candidate was denied the mantle yet as the electoral law suggest that the difference in both votes is much less than the total number of cancelled votes, which INEC put at over 3, 000. As a result, there is no clear winner. A clear winner will however, be determined after a rerun is conducted on Thursday in some polling units where elections were cancelled.

The units, according to INEC, include two in Orolu Local Government Area, one in Ife South Local Government Area, one in Ife North Local Government Area and one in Osogbo Local Government Area.

As a result, the SDP candidate, who hails from Ife, has suddenly become a most sort after bride as the two parties are clamouring for his attention believing that he has the ability to sway votes to any party he gives his green light, given that two of his areas of influence are among the determining units

It was gathered that the PDP had already initiated discussions with Omisore towards winning the two units in his stronghold of Ife as a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, had reportedly spoken with Omisore on the need for him to support the PDP candidate in the rerun.

Fani-Kayode, who is also from Ile Ife like the former deputy governor, confirmed that he had spoken with both Omisore and Adeleke on the issue which bordered on how to “bury the ruling party in the state on Thursday.”

Apart from Omisore, the PDP was however, said to be planning to meet with candidates of other political parties that had what a source described as a “worthy outing” during the election on Saturday. This move has already swayed the candidate of the ADC, Fatai Akinbade to his their side.

Fani-Kayode said, “Yes, it is true that I have spoken with my brother, Senator Omisore, and our (PDP) candidate, Senator Adeleke, on the issue.

“I can tell you confidently that both of them are receptive to the idea and I can tell you that we are going to meet together to discuss working relationship before Thursday.

“We are not talking about any condition.  We are doing all these for the love of our party and our people. We need to liberate the state from the vultures and invaders of our commonwealth. By the grace of God, we shall do it.”

The President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, who also heads the party’s 85-member governorship campaign council in the state, was in the state to visit Omisore, who promised to give his support any of the parties that can guarantee good governance for the people of Osun State.

Omisore came third during the election with over 120, 000 votes, and is believed to command some influence in most of the units were the rerun elections will be held on Saturday.

It is the party that meet Omisore’s condition that may eventually carry the day.