OSUN 2026: Why Senator Iyiola Omisore Should Weigh His Options, By Oluwaseyi Adeniyi (ASP)

By Oluwaseyi Adeniyi (ASP)

When a Landlord is beginning to tell a Tenant, “Don’t you know that even that part of the yam can still be useful?”, then the Tenant should know that it may be time to start packing.

Likewise, when a Beneficiary looks at the face of his or her Helper and says, “To hell with you and your help,” then the Helper should know that there is already a problem somewhere. Ingratitude and Discomfort are always early signs that a relationship is losing its value.

Otunba Iyiola Omisore is not an emergency politician, like Gboyega Oyetola. In Osun, he has been around for a while. As a matter of fact, his name and resources were part of what the Alliance for Democracy (AD) used in 1999, to make Chief Bisi Akande the Governor, while Omisore was made the Deputy, with a promise that once Baba Akande finishes his term, Omisore will take over as the next Governor. We all knew how he was booted out from the office in December 2002.

Omisore reluctantly returned to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and he was received with full regalia of a respected leader. We shouldn’t forget how the power that be, at the time tormented him. He was accused of masterminding the murder of the Cicero of Esa Oke, Late Chief Bola Ige. Yet, while still in detention, he contested for the Senate and was overwhelmingly voted for by the people. That alone reflects the depth of love and support many people have for him.

Yes, it’s good to be ambitious, Omisore wants to be the Governor of Osun State, this aspiration still lives with him till tomorrow. He tried in 2014, due to some errors, which I am not ready to discuss for now, he lost. I was part and parcel of that campaign.

In 2018, he contested under the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Very high number of civil servants and pensioners followed him, due to the campaign of calumny launched against Governor Ademola Adeleke, who was the candidate of the PDP, by APC.

Why did workers and pensioners believe in Omisore at the time? It was because they had briefly experienced his style of leadership whenever the governor travelled and handed over power to him as Deputy Governor.

During those periods, workers’ salaries and other benefits were paid promptly, something the governor at the time, Chief Akande, was widely criticised for not doing consistently. As a matter of fact, this was the beginning of the crisis between the governor and deputy, that led to the removal of Omisore as Bisi Akande’s deputy.

During the 2018 election, when the APC leaders at the national have tried all they could in making sure Adeleke didn’t win the election (we all knew what led us to inconclusive in 2018). He (Omisore), who was the candidate of SDP at the time, was reached out to, to join forces with APC/Oyetola, so that APC could win with lots of promises. What followed? Your answer is as good as mine.

For a purpose, Omisore was made the National Secretary of the APC in 2022. The reason for this is very simple, to work within the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, in making sure Bola Ahmed Tinubu gets the party’s ticket, which he delivered. What followed after Tinubu won the election, he was booted out of the office. As a deep and well experienced politician, he didn’t rock the boat, he kept his cool, working for the party.

Fast forward to 2026, after due consultations, he threw his cap into the ring for the governorship contest in Osun. For another purpose, Oyetola still used him against Adeleke (Omisore personally revealed this on TVC where he said Oyetola called him to make sure that Adeleke didn’t join the APC).

Without being sentimental or economical with the truth, Omisore remains the best candidate for the APC due to his experience and structure, but because Gboyega Oyetola didn’t want someone who he cannot control or teleguide, he was disqualified. The embarrassment still subsists till today.

How do you disqualify a former Deputy Governor, former Senator, and former National Secretary of your party without any cogent reason?

Anyway, many people already know why he was treated that way, it was simply to clear the path for Oyetola’s preferred stooge, Bola Oyebamiji.

With the current reality in Osun today under Governor Adeleke, let Oyetola put himself forward, add Oyebamiji to it, include Sunday Akere, Remi Omowaiye and noisemaker Banik to it, to face Ademola Adeleke, they will lose woefully.

Apart from the special grace that surrounds Ademola Adeleke, he has also performed beyond many people’s expectations. And the people of Osun have unanimously agreed that he should continue the good work till 2030.

Even though Senator Iyiola Omisore betrayed many Osun workers and pensioners by aligning with Oyetola to become Governor in 2018 against their wishes, the position of workers and many Osun people at the time was clear, they no longer wanted the APC to continue governing the state. The only remedy for Omisore to get himself back into the hearts of the people is to give his total support to Governor Adeleke for his re-election. After all, the Oyetola camp has told him and his followers that they are infinitesimal. Hon. Sunday Akere said it in one of his interviews on WSTV.

Also, with the current APC arrangement in the state, none of his supporters or followers have been considered for any position. With the just concluded controversial and abracadabra State Assembly and National Assembly primaries, it’s glaring that Omisore’s camp had been cut off from the APC.

And on August 15, when the APC suffers another round of failure, the Oyetola’s camp will most likely heap the blame on Iyiola Omisore, claiming he was the reason they lost. Whereas, in reality, Oyetola lacks the political strength to install a stooge as the next Governor of Osun State.

If he could not even return himself to office in 2022 while he was still the sitting governor, is it now, when he has lost everything, that he wants to return a political novice?

I rest my case.

Oluwaseyi Adeniyi (ASP) writes from Osogbo.