How Iyiola Omisore Conspired Against Himself To Lose Osun Guber Election

…why INEC Boss, Jega should be applauded

Re elected Governor Rauf Aregbesola and all the apparatus of his party, All Progressives Congress – in all levels – worked to return him to office , but it wasn’t their hard work that earned them victory. It was the actions – and in actions- of vociferous contender and main opponent under the platform of People’s Democratic Party, Otunba Iyiola Omisore.

The proud bearer of thought provoking slogan, Eni Iyi Ni Wa Ni Ipinle Osun ( We are honourable people in Osun state ) thought he had the result in his favour and bagged…he behaved accordingly.

Findings revealed it was more of the alienation caused by his attitude that pulled the rug of victory from his feet.

The clamour for a change of the APC government was loud – and the feelings touchable.

Though, even his enemies confirmed Aregbesola performed within his limited capacity – but the cost of the performance in terms of increasing debt and perceived arbitrary style of governance were labelled stifling.

And the greatest sin? He was generally portrayed as ‘belonging to a party and running a government that facilitated capital flight out of the state’.
The sacked by court order government of his predecessor, Olugunsoye Oyinlola was adjudged far more beneficiary to the people and the state. And based on nostalgia, the populace clamoured for a return of his People’s Democratic Party and along with it enthronement of serial aspirant, Iyiola Omisore as Governor.

Astoundingly, Otunba Omisore was quietly engaging in action that drove the very man whose past work and popularity earned his campaign a measure of followership into the arms of the opposition. Sen Iyiola Omisore

The former governor who was supposed to be the ‘mascot’ his campaign was sidelined.

And the position that gave him relevance and status snatched from him and given to one of the candidates acolytes. Even a court order to effect a reversal had no effect.

The same treatment was meted out to other power brokers within the PDP, Isiaka Adeleke , Alhaji Fatai Akinbade in related measures.

Unlike Oyinlola the duo sought the PDP guber ticket along with Omisore and lost to him, but rather than me compensated – they were treated in manners that made leaving natural option.

Adeleke, a former governor with great following in parts of the state pitched his tent with the APC. Akinbade chose to realise his ambition as the flag bearer of Labour Party.

Other stakeholders that felt the treatment of these leaders inevitably coming their ways chose other political alliances as well, particularly the APC.
Within the PDP, the candidate was casted in a peculiar mode, a man that has come to put only ‘his people’ in all key positions, a governor that intends to be the sole decider of government and party policy in the making. And talks of an unfolding conspiracy to push out those likely to stand in the way of the candidate and his crew was born.

The development led to a great weakening in the resolve of some those pushing for the victory candidate Omisore within his party- the die hard continued to press forward with Supporters Jubilating
devotion, but their numbers were depreciated. The larger society was yet to be intimated of this problem.

But the opposition appeared to be well informed, they stepped up pursuit of game changer individuals liable to defection still hanging on within the PDP.

And upturned actions that alienated them with the masses. Backlog of salaries owed across board were payed.

Union leaders and traditional rulers were wooed to woo their members and subjects in turn.

Political horse trading were engaged in, in all fronts. The voters were ‘generally made to feel like a beautiful bride once again’ according to a source.

‘Mobilisation’ of campaign agents were done well ahead of election by the party hierarchy.

The incumbent Aregbesola and his party treated it like a they were the ones about to wrest power from a sitting governor.

It is not that Omisore and his campaigners didn’t put up a fight, far from that. They did a massive tour of the state. The candidate even came to the humble level of eating roasted corn road side manner.

He had out of state party wigs in the likes of Minister of state for finance, Musiliu Obanikoro campaigning for him on the streets.

He was very visible in the media and on social media platform and rolled out different points of agenda on how he would effect change – but he failed to keep the pillars of the party that would actualise his victory together. He was said to rely on what was labelled ‘a scientific method’ that didn’t materialise on election day.

One of the big boost for Omisore and his PDP ahead of the election was the loss of APC in the Ekiti Guber election.

It was believed the victory would spill over into Osun, but the winner- Ayodele Fayose did two major things Omisore failed too. He pacified all aggrieved stakeholders within his party with this and that position and did all possible to ensure the opposition did not profit from their angst. And secondly, he ensured ‘effective use of campaign funds’ well ahead of the election and all through.

While talks that Omisore only released funds barely two days to election on the conviction he would carry the day in the face of ‘massive security’ to ensure his ‘popularity’ transform into ‘outstanding votes’ is debatable, it is was very clear all through the campaign Rauf Aregbesola and the APC continued to raid his camp for support in all the nooks and corner of the state.

Their chief target was crowd puller with wonderful image, former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
Senator Obanikoro Addressing PDP members Despite all the humiliations he suffered in the hand of his party, the astute politician asked for just one thing- a return- backed by a court order- to the post of National Publicity Secretary that he was sacked from. The position is currently occupied by Prof. Wale Oladipo, a known associate of Otunba Omisore.

His request was ignored. He even wrote a letter to the President on the issue. It bore no result.

And less than a week to Election, he crossed
over to the rival APC and delivered a deadly blow that turned the ‘guarded Omisore conspiracy within the PDP on it’s head’.

The former governor told the voters during his public declaration for APC

‘“The candidate of their party (PDP) is selfish. I don’t know how Bola Ige was killed. Although Omisore was accused of killing Bola Ige, God knows who was responsible for the killing.”
Certificate Of Return Issued On twitter “Let us look at this; he (Omisore) picked Prof. Wale Oladipo, who was in the prison with him (over Bola Ige’s case) to replace me as the National Secretary of the PDP. He nominated Jelili Adesiyan who was also with him at Agodi Prison as a minister and he installed Gani Olaoluwa, who was also with them at the prison as the PDP chairman in the state.

“Does it mean that we cannot hold public office except we are former prisoners? The running mate (Adejare Bello) is the only one
different. The PDP is now empty; they pushed former Governor Isiaka Adeleke out, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade (Labour Party candidate) left them when he saw the way they were doing and I have also left them for the APC.”

According to an inside source, ‘that statement demoralised us all…if Omisore had 100,000 votes before, Oyinlola gave 50,000 of them to Aregbesola with that pronouncement’
Gov Rauf Aregbesola A keen follower of Osun politics analysed the import of Oyinlola’s statement thus:

‘If Oyinlola had completed his tenure, Omisore would possible had been the Governor. Oyinlola made it clear to all around him he was handing over the baton to Omisore..it was an open secret within the party then.

‘This was what made loyalists like Peter ‘power’ Babalola and others defect from the PDP back then, they wanted to contest but Oyinlola wasn’t ready to allow anybody usurp the ticket from Omisore…the handing over to Omisore was part of the arrangement brokered that made Omisore step down for Oyinlola to be governor.

‘The effect of someone willing to dare others to honour an agreement with you, and generally regarded a rare breed and honourable man as far as politicians go, to now climb a podium and made such devastating disclosures is better imagined’
But as at then, the APC didn’t know the magnitude of the favour Oyinlola delivered, Insiders revealed they made spirited efforts to crest on Oyinlola’s deadly strike to gather more last minute supports- and didn’t know how far gone they were, until after the election.
According to insiders, another factor that ensured contending camps got results for their efforts was Professor Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of election umpire, Independent Electoral Commission (INEC).

Informants claim he refused to bow to pressures from all angles. He rebuffed moves to circumvent the process from different directions. And insisted the result of days of campaigns be allowed to play out.

Insiders revealed he went a step further to put all his agents, and head of security operatives, on red alert. And threatened prosecution of anybody found wanting.

‘It was the desperation borne out of refusal by Jega to entertain inimical actions that resulted in the attempt at bribery State security spoke’s person, Marily Ogar is singing’ a source claimed.

The DSS spokesperson claimed agents were offered millions of naira to be partisan.

Findings revealed but for the heavy presence of military personnel and related security agents, things would have turned ugly.

The Incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Party polled 394,413 votes defeat People’s Democratic Governor’s Candidate Iyiola Omisore’s 292,687 in the Saturday August 10 Osun state gubernatorial election.

And for the third, Omisore failed to get the Osun Governor seat. Only this time unlike previous ones, he conspired against himself.

The leaders of his party, Alliance for Democracy conspired against him the first time in 1999.

Fate played a fast one on him when the man willing to enthrone him with structure of power of incumbency was sacked from via court order in 2010.