As the people of Osun State look forward to electing the new governor that will man the affairs of the state in the next four years on September 22, observers are curious on the chances of the parties’ flag bearers in the contest.
Already, Independent National Electoral Commission has said that no fewer than 47 people are contesting in the race.
Among these political parties and their candidates are Senator Ademola Adeleke for the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola for All Progressives Congress, Senator Iyiola Omisore for Social Democratic Party, Alhaji Moshood Adeoti for Action Democratic Party, and others.
There is nobody that loses an election without a bit of anger. But this is a family affair. Dr Akin Ogunbiyi has affirmed that he is not leaving the party
Parties, candidates and chances
Senator Ademola Adeleke
The PDP’s flag bearer, Senator Adeleke, who is the younger brother of the late Isiaka Adeleke, is believed to be banking again on the sympathy votes that helped him emerge as the senator representing Osun West district.
But away from this, Adeleke may be facing a challenge from the party’s internal wrangling, especially on the feud with his runner-up in the primary , Dr Akin Ogunbiyi.
Already, the party’s leadership at the national level has waded into the crisis for possible settlement, but information gathered from sources in the party revealed that both Adeleke and Ogunbiyi are yet to reach an agreement to work together ahead of the coming election.
A party chieftain from Osogbo, Hakeem Bolatito, said the Ogunbiyi’s camp is already aggrieved, especially as Adeleke has decided to go against the agreement reached at a meeting with the national leadership in Abuja.
According to him, “Adeleke, in the meeting, agreed to produce his deputy from Ogunbiyi’s camp, but on getting home, he turned away from the agreement. The situation had made the camp of Ogunbiyi vowed not to work with him in the coming election.”
Meanwhile, Ogunbiyi has said that Adeleke should be blamed for the breakdown of the peace talk between them.
According to Ogunbiyi, Senator Adeleke flagrantly failed to honour all the three conditions given to him to meet by the national leaders of the party for peace to reign in the party .
He said at the Abuja meeting, Senator Adeleke was asked to concede the post of his running mate to Ogunbiyi’s group, the senatorial seat to the group and also shared both the National and State’s Assemblies’ seats .
“At that meeting, I never asked that any condition should be met or I should be refunded for all my expenses or we should share posts. It is in the wisdom of the party leaders that came up with those conditions and the two parties agreed with them,”. he said.
Dr Ogunbiyi explained further that all efforts by his group to make Adeleke fulfill his side of the agreement did not see the light of the day.
As it is, the party’s leadership has ordered former Senate President, Senator David Mark and Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, to mediate in the crisis.
But Ogunbiyi said he has no problem settling the crisis except Adeleke.
”I believe in the party supremacy and I don’t have any litigation in any court against him. So, when they come, they should see Adeleke and ask him questions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sentor Adeleke has said talks are on-going on the agreement with Ogunbiyi.
Speaking through his media aide, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke said: “There is nobody that loses an election without a bit of anger. But this is a family affair. Dr Akin Ogunbiyi has affirmed that he is not leaving the party.
“He also expressed his readiness to work for the success of the party. The rest is politics. The focus now is the preparation for September 22. Peace is here.”
Meanwhile, the Publicity Secretary of Osun State PDP, Mr Sunday Bisi, while speaking with The Point, said the wrangling between Ogunbiyi and Adeleke has been settled amicably. According to him, Adeleke has conceded to have his deputy from Ogunbiyi’s camp.
“There is no crisis between the duo again. It has been settled amicably at a general meeting that was held yesterday. Both have agreed to work together and Ogunbiyi’s people are now producing the deputy governor. We are now focused on winning the mandate in September 22,” Bisi said.
Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola
Adegboyega Oyetola, the flag bearer of the state ruling party, APC, is believed will leverage on the power of incumbency in the state to succeed his boss, Governor Raufu Aregbesola. But despite this, his success in the coming election will be determined by certain factors.
According to political observers in the state, among the factors that will determine Oyetola’s fate is the circumstance that surrounds his emergence as the party’s flag bearer.
Some APC members in the state believe that Oyetola was imposed on them by Gov. Aregbesola and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. According to some of them, Oyetola who is the current Chief of Staff to Aregbesola, was favoured ahead of others in the contest because he is a distant cousin of Tinubu.
At the primary election that got him the ticket of his party, Oyetola scored 127,017 to defeat the deputy speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Lasun Yussuf, who polled 21, 975 and the Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Hon Najeem Salaam, who got 17, 958 votes.
In addition, Oyetola, being an arrowhead of the Aregbesola-led administration, will definitely share in whatever is accruable to the incumbent government as achievements or failure.
It now depends on what percentage of people want all those goodies embarked upon by the Aregbesola administration and the pains suffered under his administration, particularly by workers and retirees, to continue.
Moreover, another issue of consideration for Oyetola is zonal politics in the state.
The political environment of Osun State, no doubt, favours the emergence of a candidate from Osun West senatorial district. According to findings, the flag bearer of any political party that will produce the governor is expected to come from the area as most citizens in the state believe it is time for the zone to rule the state and this permutation favours Oyetola.
Meanwhile, another issue the party’s leadership needs to address before the election is the grievances of other contestants in the party against Oyetola in the primaries. The aggrieved aspirants, who alleged that Aregbesola, Tinubu and Oshiomhole deliberately imposed Oyetola on them, are now threatening to work against the interest of the party in the election.
One of them, Alhaji Jimoh Adeoti, who accused the party of foul play ahead of the primaries, dumped the party and became the flag bearer of Action Democratic Party.
Meanwhile, Osun State APC said it has reconciled all the aggrieved members of the party ahead of the election.
The publicity secretary of the party, Mr Kunle Oyatomi, while responding to inquiries from our correspondent, said: “APC is now peaceful and is focusing on winning the election once again. Apart from the person that contested the election and later defected, there is no other person in the party that is aggrieved as I am talking to you. We believe we will win the election once again. In 2014, despite the federal might, we won , and now victory is not negotiable.”
All the parties in Osun have their challenges and ours is not exceptional, but I can tell you that crisis will soon be over. All the aggrieved parties have been talking and soon, we will overcome it to win the election
Iyiola Omisore
Senator Iyiola Omisole, the flag bearer of Social Democratic Party, is another gladiator in the coming Osun State Governorship election.
Omisore, who is a former PDP member, is expected to bank on his political achievement in the state’s politics to win his long-aspiring position in the state.
Meanwhile, the major challenge before Omisore is the division in his party as the primary election that produced Omisore was conducted by Dr. Bayo Faforiji led faction of the party.
However, another faction of the SDP led by Chief Ademola Ishola conducted a separate primary using delegate system and produced Mr. Kehinde Atanda.
But at the end, Omisore was given the Certificate of Return by the national leadership of the party . However, it is believed that the last has not been heard of the crisis.
Osun State chairman of the SDP, Chief Ademola Ishola, in a conversation with our correspondent admitted that the party is in crisis, adding that efforts are in place to settle it.
“All the parties in Osun have their challenges and ours is not exceptional, but I can tell you that crisis will soon be over. All the aggrieved parties have been talking and soon, we will overcome it to win the election,” he said.
On Omisore, the chairman said; “Though he met us in the party and we are the original owner of the party, but we are going to settle issues amicably to win the coming election.”
Alhaji Jimoh Adeoti
Alhaji Jimoh Adeoti is the flag bearer of ADP. The former Secretary to the State Government was one of the aggrieved aspirants from APC who defected to the ADP on the last day of submission of candidates’ name to INEC.
He was the only aspirant of the party who eventually emerged the winner of the ticket.
Other parties
On the part of Accord Party in Osun State, a United States-based cleric of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Olapade Okunola, emerged th flag bearer. He is expected to leverage on the support from his church members in the state to win the election.
Meanwhile, the Providence Peoples’ Congress has produced a former Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Ife Adewumi, as its flag bearer.
On the part of Restoration Party of Nigeria in the state, one Mrs. Mercy Ayodele emerged the party flag bearer. Also, the National Rescue Movement had Ms. Jumoke Lawoyin as its candidate in the election.
