The impeached former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore, some hours ago shared a video on his WhatsApp status apparently aimed at mocking the former Governor of Osun State, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, blaming the marine and blue economy minister for the electoral disappointment suffered by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the August 15 election.
In the Yoruba Ewi rendition, Omisore is portrayed as an “elephant” and a political megastar who, if given the opportunity, would have delivered victory for the APC in the last election. There is no derogatory name under the sun that the maker of the video does not hurl at former Governor Oyetola.
What Omisore and the other Trojan horses behind that distasteful video appear unwilling to acknowledge, however, is that Oyetola towers over Omisore by miles in terms of political achievement and public office. Oyetola served as Governor of Osun State. Omisore has never been Governor of the state.
The reality Omisore has continued to struggle to come to terms with is that Oyetola enjoys considerable goodwill across Osun State, including in Ifeland, where Omisore claims his roots.
In fact, in the 2018 governorship election when Omisore was on the ballots, Oyetola won two of the four local government areas in Ifeland: Ife North and Ife South, the ancestral home of Omisore, where his late father was a traditional ruler at the time.
So, why is Omisore so bitter about the grace and political relevance God Almighty has bestowed upon Oyetola?
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Rather than engaging in needless mockery and sponsoring distasteful propaganda, Omisore should perhaps come to terms with the reality that political relevance is earned through service, performance and the goodwill of the people—not through self-praise.
What is the bragging right of the political Methuselah? In the last election, he lost 19 of the 22 polling units in his Moore Ward in Ife East, a clear indication that he was either not on ground or he was involved in anti-party activities.
Omisore has been a perennial aspirant for the governorship of Osun State. He has contested and struggled to become governor since 1995, during the military era.
Omisore does not possess the political strength he touts to have. He lost three elections in a row since 2011. The only credible election he has ever won in his entire political career was the one he contested alongside Chief Bisi Akande in 1999.
He was in Agodi Prison in 2003 over the alleged murder of Chief Bola Ige when he was declared the winner of the Osun East Senatorial District election. The election was, however, fraught with allegations of electoral malpractice.
He was also declared winner in 2007, but the election was declared null and void by the court over massive rigging and violence.
In 2011, he contested for the Senate under the PDP but was trounced by Senator Jide Omoworare. Omisore polled 51,315 votes, while Omoworare polled 119,852 votes, a margin of over 60,000 votes.
He was defeated by the APC governorship candidate in 2014 by a wide margin of 100,047 votes when he again contested under the PDP. In 2018, he came a distant third before he was brought into the APC by some “Abuja politicians” and subsequently rehabilitated by the party.
He was appointed National Secretary of the party in March 2022 but was abruptly removed in July 2023, allegedly over issues surrounding the management of the APC’s finances.
Since his removal, he has become bitter with anything APC, President Bola Tinubu or former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, despite all the efforts by Oyetola to tolerate and accommodate him.
Notwithstanding his combative posture towards Oyetola, there have been claims that Oyetola gave him a lucrative contract at the Nigerian Ports Authority, allegedly serving as a financial buffer for him.
So why is “Atiku Osun” bitter, paranoid and running amok like a frustrated bulldog over Oyetola?
