OSOGBO, the capital city of Osun State, popularly called “Ilu Aro,” meaning “home of dye,” being a major dyeing centre in Yoruba land, stood still on Thursday, September 6, 2018, for Senator Iyiola Omisore, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The people woke up to realise that the Ife-born politician, “Omi” (Water) as he is fondly called, has occupied Osogbo, “the city of the living spring.” What led to this? It was the mega rally of his party, the SDP, staged to raise the momentum of Omisore’s campaign for the September 22 governorship election in Osun State, that eventually threw the entire city into a carnival of all sorts.
The shouts of “Omi Osun” from hundreds of people rented the air, as they danced and kept on rendering different songs, with an elated Omisore, waving his hands, followed by his running mate, Alhaji Azeez Yemi Lawal, rode into the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, where a mammoth crowd unanimously had gathered.
With the arrival of the national executives of the SDP led by its national chairman, Chief Olu Falae, also joined by leaders of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, led by its Secretary-General, Chief Seinde Arogbofa, with other prominent SDP and Yoruba leaders including Dr Yemi Farounbi, Dr Olu Agunloye, Chief Supo Sonibare, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan, the state SDP chairman, Dr Bayo Faforiji, and a host of others. The city was on a temporary lockdown, with passersby and motorists held up, as they watched the flamboyant and festive displays of the SDP members. To further add colour to the event, ace Fuji musician, Abbass Akande Obesere, was on the band stand, and for his audience at the campaign ground, it was a lively mood all through.
At the event, the national chairman of SDP, Chief Falae, supported by the vice chairman (South-West), Chief Supo Sonibare, officially presented the SDP flag to Omisore and his running mate, Lawal, popularly called “Olorunesan,” as a symbol of authority to represent the party in the September 22 election in the state.
Falae, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), describing Omisore as the best man to govern Osun State and to restore its lost glory, blamed the ruling party. He warned against any form of manipulation of results, saying that Omisore suffered in 2014. Supporting Falae’s claim was the Secretary-General of the Afenifere, Chief Arogbofa, who represented its leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, assured of the Yoruba leaders’ support for the “Omisore Restoration Agenda” in Osun State, which is the summary of SDP manifestos for governance. He prayed for Omisore’s victory at the polls.
The former SGF stated that “Omisore is the best is man to govern Osun State, and the most experienced of all the candidates, having formerly served as a deputy governor in the state, likewise as chairman of the appropriation committee in the Senate.” This was as he charged the people to be vigilant and to “thumb print the slot showing a horse on the ballot sheet which is SDP’s symbol,” adding that, “SDP is a party set out to represent the Yoruba interest.”
Falae, who lamented the situation he met as he arrived Osogbo on Thursday, compared the situation in Osogbo to what obtained on his first visit 64 years ago, noting that he felt sad entering Osogbo and seeing its level of underdevelopment. He blamed the backwardness in the South-West states, especially Osun, on the insincerity of politician, who he said lied to hijack power.
In his remarks, the state SDP chairman, Dr Bayo Faforiji, charged the people to vote for SDP and mobilise others to do so, while also recognising the support of the national SDP and state leaders, who graced the occasion.
While speaking at the rally, a national leader of the SDP, Dr Yemi Farounbi, said issues on workers and pensioners’ salary arrears would end on assumption into office of Senator Omisore, whose achievements he lauded as a former deputy governor and Senate appropriation committee chairman.
Farounbi said: “Whatever Omisore says he will do, he doesn’t change his words.” He assured the people that as an engineer and a consultant to foreign financial institutions, which include the International Monetary Funds (IMF) and World Bank, “Omisore would be able to partner relevant agencies and mobilise funds both for development of the state and payment of outstanding workers’ salaries and pensioners’ arrears.”
In his words at the rally, Omisore who responded with firm words, as his wife, Mojisola, stood by his side, said, “freedom has come to the people of Osun.” He congratulated them in advance on the freedom he would bring to the state in the areas he said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had held the people captive.
“As you vote for SDP on Saturday, September 22, we are coming back to this Freedom Park to celebrate freedom from no salary; freedom from no pension; freedom from joblessness; freedom from no money for business; freedom will come to every category of people in the state. There will be freedom for artisans, there will be freedom for students, there will be freedom for market men and women; there will be freedom fashion designers; there will be freedom in all parastatal-agencies; there will be freedom for all,” Omisore, a former deputy governor of the state, told the teeming crowd of supporters.
He promised Osun people of SDP government’s stoppage to their suffering, while he assured them of fixing the bad roads, returning students to schools, providing gainful and pensionable employments, and putting drugs in the public hospitals, if elected as the governor.
Omisore, who represented Osun East Senatorial District between 2003 and 2011, charged the people of the state to be vigilant and to stand by their votes on the Election Day and ensure they monitor proceedings from the voting booths to coalition centres. The former deputy, who hinged his reason for the charge on his lack of trust in the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, however, supported plans by INEC to stop the electorate entering the voting booths with their phones and cameras, a development he said would help in curbing vote-buying and selling.
He warned INEC against collaborating with the Governor Raul Aregbesola-led APC government to rig the election, which he said was the case in 2014. Omisore had recently faulted the appointment of Mr Segun Agbaje as the Osun State’s Resident Electoral Commission, who he said compromised the election against him in 2014, calling for his replacement even as he warned that “the 2014 situation must not repeat itself.” He added that “Osun people will resist any act of rigging,” alleging that INEC had perfected plans with the APC to rig the election by using members of the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) as the ad-hoc workers for the election, which he warned against, saying “the people of the state have been instructed to demand the identity cards of INEC ad hoc staff,” and would resist any attempt to rig the election.
He also cautioned the people against being distracted or swayed by the opposition parties using his name to campaign and attaching him with their parties, most especially, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), as he disclaimed the party saying, “I am not in the PDP because some are saying that I am in the PDP, it is a deceit. I am in the SDP and we are going to win this election. We will not allow anybody to steal our votes this time.”
Earlier, at a meeting with retirees in the state, Omisore said identified corruption and mismanagement of funds as the cause of the huge debt and nonpayment of salaries and pensioners’ arrears, contending that if the allocation to Osun State had been well-spent, “the state will not be at the level it is today.” He also warned the people that “the mistake of 2014 should be avoided by voting for SDP on September 22.”
The Osun State chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Alhaji Ganiyu Salawu, at the meeting, expressed workers’ agony over their unpaid overdue pension arrears, calling on Omisore to see to relieving them of their burden if elected the governor of Osun State, saying, “the pensioners are only interested in a candidate who is ready to solve pensioners problems and other related matters towards the development of Osun State.
The pensioners’ state secretary, Comrade Dele Aina JP, who also lauded Omisore’s contributions to workers’ welfare as a deputy governor in the state, said, it was Omisore’s commitment that led to a misunderstanding between him and the then Governor Bisi Akande, and for this reason, he hinted that “ since Omisore has done it before, we believe he will be ready to do it again.”
Omisore, while responding at the meeting with pensioners said, “the mistake made in 2014 was to vote for a foreigner, a colonial master who has no stake in the state, to rule the state. On expiration of his tenure, he will leave the state and the people. But as you know, I am equally a pensioner and I’m being owed too. This same mistake must not be made again. So, after voting, ensure you stay with your votes, monitor proceedings from the polling booths to the collation centre and ensure that no one tamper with your votes.”
Omisore urged the people to troop out en mass to vote massively for the SDP, as he expressed confidence in his party winning the September 22 governorship election, which he said would mark the end of the APC rule in Osun State.
From the campaign ground, Omisore and his entourage, which include Falae, Arogbofa, Sonibare, left for the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun. At the palace, the monarch lauded Omisore’s aspiration and desire for the development of the state, while he gave his royal blessing for his governorship ambition.
From Osogbo, the left for the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, who also gave his royal blessing to Omisore’s ambition, while he wished him success at the September 22 governorship election.
and then