OSOGBO – Barely two weeks after denying interest in the 2026 Osun State governorship race, Daily Sun can authoritatively reveal that former Osun State Deputy Governor and immediate past National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Otunba Iyiola Omisore, has joined the race.
In the past two weeks, there has been a resurgence of political activities around his campaign office in Osogbo, the state capital, where renovation works have reached an advanced stage to make the facility functional once again.
Following insinuations in some quarters about his aspiration, Daily Sun decided to put a call across to him on Monday afternoon and the former lawmaker who represented Osun-East at the Senate, confirmed to our reporter that he would run.
He further disclosed that he had met some leaders of the APC to intimate them of his aspiration.
With his entry into the race, the number of aspirants vying for the APC governorship ticket in Osun has risen to nine.
Before Omisore, Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mr. Bola Oyebamiji and seven others had declared their interest. The seven aspirants are Mr. Dotun Babayemi, Senator Babajide Omoworare, Senator Mudashiru Hussain, Mr. Akin Ogunbiyi, Mr. Benedict Alabi, Mr. Kunle Adegoke Rasheed and the incumbent National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Basiru.
Meanwhile, inside sources have disclosed that the party was strategising to ensure it conducts a rancour-free primary election, especially because, apart from one or two of the aspirants, most of them are heavyweights who cannot be brushed aside. “This is our best chance to take back Osun. If we miss this chance, it will not augur well for the party. This is why we are planning and working to see how we can have a rancour-free primary election, and we believe that it is achievable. We need unity of purpose,” one of the sources said.
Daily Sun investigations revealed that one of the key motivations behind those canvassing for Omisore’s candidacy is the belief that Ife, his hometown, would deliver a significant number of votes for the party if their son is in the race for the state’s number one seat.
However, when confronted with this argument, a party chieftain dismissed it, saying the claim is neither here nor there.
According to him, “I agree with you that Ife and Osogbo will deliver huge votes. But, it all depends on the candidate. As you may be aware, Governor Ademola Adeleke’s deputy is from Ife, and you know a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush. For Osogbo, it is the seat of power, so the government will concentrate energy and resources there, as such ‘Omo Ilu (son of soil) sentiment won’t work there.
“But you must also recognise the fact that in any area we decide to choose our candidate from outside of Ife and Osogbo, the people will rally round on their own to give us plenty of votes as well.
“Who would have imagined that Iragbiji, not the entire Boripe Local Government, will give us about 30,000 votes in the last governorship election? So, I think what the leaders of the party can do is to ensure we go for someone with name recognition across the state, with sound background and political trajectory that is unblemished,” he added.
