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| Senator Iyiola Omisore |
Notwithstanding the various controversies facing him, Senator Iyiola Omisore, may have begun a strategic journey to becoming the next governor of Osun State.
If there is any dream that Senator Iyiola Omisore wishes to accomplish, it is his desire to become the next Governor of Osun State. And for many years, Omisore had nursed the ambition. He was deputy governor of the state from 1999 to 2003, after which he was elected to represent the people of Osun-east in the Senate. He was re-elected in 2007 where he headed different committees including Police Affairs, Housing, Culture & Tourism, Aviation and Appropriation.
As a household name in Osun, Omisore had fought battles and survived many trials, starting from his impeachment as deputy governor. His major political travails however started following the killing of Chief Bola Ige, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, who was shot dead on December 23, 2001 at his home in Ibadan. Omisore was accused of complicity in Ige's death. But he survived it in the end. But Ige killers are yet to be found, 12 years after.
The outcome of the 2007 election also posed another challenge when the candidate of the then Action Congress Party, now senator Babajide Omoworare, appealed result of the election on the grounds that Omisore was not qualified to contest the election since he was found guilty of official misconduct as deputy governor, adding also that the election was marred by irregularities.
But the election tribunal upheld Omisore's election. Omoworare appealed the ruling and followed it through to 2009 when the election appeal tribunal ruled that Omisore was qualified to contest the election. But Omisore eventually lost his seat to the same Omoworare in the 2011 election.
Since then, Omisore has maintained a balance between politics and his business. But in spite of the many setbacks he has suffered, he remains relevant in the politics of Osun State. He is no doubt loved by his people, particularly in his hometown of Ile-Ife. It is understandable, therefore, why his opponents have been critical of him.
Whilst his journey to the Government House in next year's election may have been strewn by controversies, he remains committed to the dream. He is optimistic that next year's governorship poll provides him opportunity to take yet a daring shot at governorship, hoping that this time, fortune and luck might smile on him.
Omisore is not oblivious of the fact the journey would be engaging, he also believes that the effort would not be fruitless, especially against the backdrop of criticism that Aregbesola has not lived up to expectation as governor.
It is for this reason that Omisore has began to transverse all the nooks and crannies of the state, preparatory to the election. He was never shy to say that the Action Congress of Nigeria-led administration in the state had inflicted pains on the people even as he would always describe as dismal, the level of governance in the state.
"There is no development in Osun under Aregbesola. The government has collected N219 billion as federal allocations, N100 billion as loans through stock exchange and banks, N15 billion through deductions from local councils and with all these monies, there is nothing on the ground to show for it."
He said the governor has been parading himself around federal government projects like roads, purporting them as part of his achievements. "There is the Osogbo-Ilesa Road, the dualisation of the Osogbo-Erin-Ile Road; the Sekona-Gbongan Road; the Ibadan-Ife Road; all these are projects of the federal Ministry of Works but which Aregbesola has been taking photographs and claiming them to be his achievements."
He also argued that the human capital development drive of the government has been fraught with lies and deceit. Omisore faulted claims that the government had employed about 10,000 YES-O volunteers, whereas Omisore noted that only 4,000 were hired but were later laid off.
Although, the Aregbesola government has not also kept quiet in all of this, it once described Omisore's statement as untrue, adding that it had awarded and paid for the construction of the Osogbo-Ila-Odo-Kwara State boundary road which is currently being reconstructed by the administration.
The governor's camp sees Omisore's comment as sheer propaganda and part of the strategy to win the support of the people and has therefore begun to fight back.
Aside the government, Omisore also has some elements within the party that seem not too disposed to his aspiration, to contend with. That aside, there is also the general feeling that the PDP might find it difficult to return to the South-west, and that this might affect Omisore's chances.
A source once noted that "it would be difficult for Senator Omisore to leave PDP for another party because he was one of those who provided life for the party in the state when nobody was willing to associate with the party."
However, in readiness for the job and a proof of his commitment, Omisore recently bagged a PhD in Public-Private Partnership from the International School of Management, Paris/St John's University, New York, and the United States.
No doubt, the odds seem daunting but surmountable for Omisore. More importantly, his ability to glide over several landmines may have prepared him better for the task ahead. Yet, one fact remains constant-that Omisore is a factor in the politics of the state and a force to watch out next year's governorship election in the state.
Source: allafrica.com
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