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If there is any wish that Senator Iyiola Omisore craved for its
fulfillment, it is his desire to achieve his lifelong aim of becoming the
Governor of Osun State. His desire spanning almost two decades has been
characterized by twist and turns as well as dotted by blood and ill-feeling
between his ardent supporters and those political opposed to him and his
politics.
Love by his teeming supporters, particularly in his hometown of
Ile-Ife, where he had assumed a near semi-god, his opponents however have been
very critical of him as overly ambitious in his approach to politics. Whichever
side one belongs, one fact remains that he remains a formidable force in the
politics of the state.
His journey has been tortuous and thorny but despite the numerous
reverses he had suffered in fulfilling his ambition, he remained committed to
his self-imposed dream. To him, next year’s governorship polls provides another
opportunity to take another shot at the office, hoping fortune and luck will
shine on him this time.
When the military signaled its intention to relinquish power to
civilians, the young and budding politician was one of the leading lights
behind the formation of United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP). With the coming
on board of the party, he quickly set up a structure that was expected to bring
to fruition, his ambition to become the second democratically elected governor
of the STATE OF THE LIVINGSPRING.
The palace coup of the late General Sani Abacha put paid to the dream
as the dark goggled officer wasted no time in dissolving existing democratic
structures as well as proscribing existing political five parties of that time,
thus leaving Omisore and those who nursed similar ambitions to beat tactical
retreat.
With the sudden death of the Kano born leader, the coming on board of
General Abdulsalami Abubakar signaled yet another opportunity. He soon emerged
one of the financial powers behind the formation of the Alliance for Democracy
(AD). Sources opined that he was persuaded to drop his governorship ambition by
allowing a more elderly Bisi Akande to emerge the candidate of the party in
Osun.
He agreed and the AD eventually won the election into the Oke Fia
Government House in Osogbo but mid-term into their tenure, the two fell out
over sundry issues bordering on policy of state as well as the critical
question on whether Omisore would pick the ticket of the AD or if Akande would
be allowed to continue in office.
In the ensuing schism, two key personalities lost their lives, the
mercurial Chief Ajibola Ige, the deputy leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural
group, Afenifere and a budding politician, Ropo Olagbaju, then a member of the
state House of Assembly who was killed in his hometown of Ile-Ife.
Perhaps, the major controversy trailing Omisore seems to be in
perceived role in the murder of Ige owing to the acrimony which the death
generated. No sooner than the late politician was killed that accusing fingers
at Omisore owing to some of the interviews granted to the media on the crisis
that led to his impeachment as the state deputy-governor by the state House of
Assembly.
Bitter about his ouster, Omisore pointed accusing fingers at Ige whom
he accused of taking sides with Akande when the two fell apart; thus, a
prolonged judicial journey to prove his innocence ensued.
In the end, he secured double victories at polls, emerging the senator
to represent Osun East District at the upper legislative chambers. He was also
acquitted by the courts of any form of complicity in the death of Ige, thus
paving the way for him to shrug off the killer tag on him.
Now he has rekindled his interest in the office by signaling his desire
to become the next Governor of the state, with his major strategy being to
endear himself to the electorates at the expense of Aregbesola whom he had
always seen as a non-performer as running ‘a foreign government.’
To give vent to his aspiration, Omisore has been transversing the nooks
and cranny of the state doling out an empowerment to market women in sections
of the state. So far, the moves have served as advantage to bolster the image
of the taciturn politician just as it has moved state officials into frenzy.
Not to catch off guard, Aregbesola’s camp has begun to take the
onslaught from Omisore very seriously and are devising means to checkmate him.
Reaching out to its contacts in the media, series of write ups has been lined
up to be published cataloguing Omisore’s perceived role in the murder.
One of such was a publication titled “A killer on the prowl” in a
national daily portraying him as a crook and unworthy of his status in the
society. He has since slammed a N1billion on the affected paper for libel.
Omisore also has to contend with some elements within the party that
seem not too disposed to his aspiration. Sources contend that leadership of the
state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mayided to dump him and a
former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade from securing
the ticket.
The grouse of those pushing for this line of thought is that both
politicians had polarised the party into two major factions preparatory to the
2011 elections before the court truncated the Oyinlola administration.
Sensing danger, he has opted to secure another platform to realize his
ambition, with sources close to him maintaining that he would like contest the
office on the platform of the Labour Party but they (the sources) stated that
PDP still remains very attractive to him.
“You will agree with me that it will be difficult but not impossible
for the Senator to leave the PDP for another party. The reason being the fact
that Omisore was one of those who provided life for the PDP in the state when
nobody was willing to associate with it.” The Source said.
To brush up his reputation and to add a greater fillip to the
forthcoming contest, he has secured a masters degree with a Ph.D in
Public-Private Partnership in view from the International School of Management,
Paris/St John’s University, New York, and the United
States in view
No doubt, the odds seems daunting but
insurmountable for Omisore but his ability to glide over the numerous landmines
of past deeds and public perception will no doubt prove his ability to be
regarded as a worthy gladiator in Osun polity.
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