Our Reporter
THE emergence of Senator Iyiola Omisore as the National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been causing disquiet in the State of Osun chapter of the party.
Investigations by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that some elders of the party, particularly those who are Alliance of Democracy extraction, were unhappy that Omisore became the Secretary of the party and by implication, the leader of APC in Osun.
Aside members of The Osun Progressives (TOP), who had vehemently opposed Omisore’s secretary ambition, some other members of APC in the IleriOluwa camp, also expressed reservations on the development, saying it is discouraging and ill-motivated.
Omisore was in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between 2002 and 2018. He joined Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 2018 and later left the party for APC in February 2021.
According to some of the elders who spoke with the medium on condition of anonymity, it is shameful that the South-West Governors and some leaders of the APC handed over the party to Omisore on a platter of gold because of their ambitions.
The elders, among who are three members of Agba Osun, the elders caucus of the APC, said Omisore’s emergence was nothing but ‘a joyful dance on the grave of Chief Bola Ige’, the leader of the progressives and former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.
A former National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande had written in his book, My Participations, that Omisore allegedly led thugs to harass and remove cap from the head of Bola Ige when he came for a programme in Ile-Ife.
Omisore was impeached by the Osun State House of Assembly in December 2002 amid the allegations of financial impropriety and murder.
After his impeachment, Omisore was arrested and arraigned in court for alleged complicity in the death of Bola Ige, who was assassinated at his house in Ibadan on December 23, 2001, few days after he was harassed in Ile-Ife.
But the Oyo State High Court where Omisore was arraigned eventually set him free for lack of evidence to link him to the murder.
Akande described Omisore as a silent malignant cancer who later turned to a Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing with his alleged fraudulent deals and efforts to impeach him.
One of the APC leaders who went to Abuja for the party’s convention last weekend expressed his dissatisfaction on Omisore’s emergence, saying he could not believe that somebody who spent about two decades fighting the progressive tendencies would suddenly be his leader by virtue of his position.
The leader said: “I can’t believe Omisore will now be my leader after all what he has done to our party and members. Bola Ige will not forgive everybody that supported Omisore to become the national secretary of APC. It is a shame. Omisore will now be in charge of party affairs in Osun!
“Though some of us are supporting Oyetola, but we felt disappointed in him and other South-West Governors on this. It is a shame that the party leadership was ceded to Omisore who did not share progressive ideology. We are not proud of that.
Another leader of the APC who is a staunch supporter of Oyetola’s second term ambition in Egbedore Local Government was said to have lost appetite for food after Omisore was announced as the national secretary of the party.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER on Tuesday, another leader of the party in Ilesa described Omisore’s emergence as a total collapse of progressive ideology.
According to the APC leader who prayed not to be named, those who sponsored Omisore for that position are politicians who have been using the ‘progressive mantra’ to deceive people.
He said: “What happened at the last convention of the APC is an abomination. Omisore was and still an outcast in the progressive circle.
“He does not believe in the progressive ideology. I don’t know the desperation that forced the governors and Tinubu to believe that Omisore is the right person to handover the party structure to. It is a slap on the faces of the genuine progressives in Osun. When did he join the party? Some people are arguing that he is a pioneer member of AD. The people saying that should also tell us why he left the party, or they should go and read Chief Bisi Akande’s book.
“Let me tell you, Omisore’s emergence as Secretary of the party is the beginning of another crisis in Osun APC, go and write it down. Some of us cannot just believe what is happening.”
When contacted, a leader of the APC in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government of the state lamented what he described as ‘bastardisation of progressive politics’, saying both Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Bola Ige would not be happy with the actions of some of the ‘self-acclaimed progressive leaders in the South-West.
He said: “Chief Bola Ige left the PDP to establish Alliance for Democracy (AD) because he did not want to be in the same party with people of questionable character then. We knew what Awolowo and Ige stood for. Awolowo always said “death is preferable to prostrating before your tormentor”.
“But those who claimed to be the leaders of progressive today have bastardised the progressive politics. How would you explained that somebody that joined APC in a year was sponsored by so called progressive leaders to become the National Secretary of the party?
“What is the justification for promoting somebody that had done irreparable damage to the progressive family? They claimed to be ‘arole Bola Ige’, but they are happy to associate with somebody that they all had accused of complicity in the death of their leader. That is deceit and ideological inconsistency. Bola Ige will not forgive them.”
“Let me tell you, majority of APC leaders in the state are not happy on what is happening, but they cannot talk. How do you want us to be happy when the authority of the party is now with a new entrant and somebody that did not believe in our ideology?
“Those who are celebrating Omisore’s emergence as Secretary of the party are either inexperienced or myopic in thinking. It is a bad omen for progressive politics.”
Oyetola Supported Omisore to Protect Famurewa’s Ambition – Sources
However, sources in the IleriOluwa camp confided in OSUN DEFENDER yesterday that Governor Oyetola supported Omisore for the National Secretary post to secure the Osun East senatorial ticket of the APC for Hon. Ajibola Famurewa, the Director General, IleriOluwa Campaign Organisation.
Famurewa contested the Osun East Senatorial District election in 2019. He lost to Senator Francis Fadahunsi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The Chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board has also indicated interest in re-contesting the senatorial election in 2023.
However, sources disclosed that Omisore had been eyeing the senatorial ticket immediately he joined the APC, a situation that had brought confusion into the camp.
According to the sources, Governor Oyetola happily supported the move to use Omisore as the National Secretary of the party because he will no longer contest the senatorial ticket with Famurewa.
The sources said: “Governor Oyetola was happy that Omisore became the National Secretary of the APC. Omisore was to contest the Osun East Senatorial ticket of the APC and Hon Famurewa is also interested in the ticket. Famurewa is our governor’s man Friday, while Omisore is the new bride.
“But when the idea of using Omisore for National Secretary of the party came up, Governor Oyetola happily supported it. He believes if Omisore becomes the secretary of the party, he will no longer contest the senatorial ticket with Famurewa again.”
We’re Not Leaving APC – Aregbesola Loyalists
Loyalists of the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in the state of Osun have said that they are not leaving the party as wrongly reported on the headline of a national newspaper.
The loyalists who belong to the Hon. Rasaq Salinsile faction of the party, said though it was uncalled for that Omisore suddenly became the national secretary of the APC, but they are not considering defecting to another party.
Publicity Secretary of the APC faction, Mr. Abiodun Agboola said they would remain in the party and see to final determination of the suits instituted on the conduct of the ward congress and declaration of Governor Oyetola as the winner of the party’s primary election.
He said: “We are not leaving APC and we are not talking to any party whatsoever. We remain members of the APC. The national convention has come and gone. It is a disgrace to the progressive fold that somebody who was known to be an unapologetic conservative was rapidly promoted to the national secretary of the party. But the outcome of the convention does not mean that we are going to leave the party.
“We have a case in court. We are challenging Oyetola’s eligibility to contest the governorship primary election. The case came up before a Federal High Court in Abuja last week Friday. We also have a case on the conduct of the APC ward congress. We will wait for the court to decide those cases before the next line of action.”
