Former Deputy Governor of Osun State and the immediate past National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore, has begun mobilisation for his gubernatorial ambition ahead of the August 8 governorship poll in the state.
Omisore, during an appearance on Channels TV’s Politics Today programme a few weeks ago, was evasive about whether he would join the race for his party’s ticket.
It is worth recalling that he lost the 2014 gubernatorial election in Osun to the former governor of the state, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, by a margin of 101,937 votes, as Aregbesola scored 394,684 votes during the exercise.
He also contested the 2018 election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) against the current governor, Ademola Adeleke, but lost his bid.
However, on his verified X handle, The Guardian noticed that the former scribe of the ruling party has christened his renewed moves to occupy Oke-Fia Government House “Omisore for 2026-The Rescue Mission Begins.”
Similarly, his campaign office, which he used for the 2014 governorship campaign, located at Ogo Oluwa, Osogbo, on the stretch of Akoda-Gbongan expressway, has been reactivated with his campaign posters and billboards, including President Bola Tinubu’s posters and the flags of the APC.
Although he has not formally submitted any letter of intent to run for the governorship to the APC leadership in the state, findings by our correspondent indicated that Omisore Youths Solidarity Forum (OYSF), a political structure he established in 2014, had also begun subtle mobilisation for their principal.
Meanwhile, the announcement on X drew mixed reactions, with many criticising his future political plans, while others praised his determination to enter the governorship race.
According to a post by Diekolola, with an X handle @yeyeoba001, “While I may have reservations about you dating back to the Bola Ige matter, I am confident that your capacity to govern would far surpass that of Demola Adeleke or any past governor. Your tenure as Senator was, by all standards, remarkable, even during your time in the PDP. You were reportedly acknowledged for championing the cause of Osun State and for facilitating the presence of the FG in some parts of the state.”
Another X handler, identified as @Ozac6, posted, “I was fully part of this struggle in 2018 as a Ward Secretary in SDP. Now that I’m also a Ward Secretary in APC, the struggle continues. We shall be victorious in the name of God.”
Reacting, @jerry_ooo stated, “Dead on Arrival. He sold his mandate to Oyetola in 2018 during the era of inconclusive saga. He was my best candidate then that I campaigned for in Odeyinka village and served voluntarily without him knowing me. But he fumbled at least.”
@kenclassy 007 said, “You should by now be in retirement, playing the grandfather role with your grandchildren. I really don’t know what your likes are still doing in the political sphere. Is politics the only means of survival?
