Omisore is a bonafide member of SDP, one of our governorship aspirants ―Ishola

THE Osun State chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Ademola Ishola, on Thursday in Osogbo declared that the former deputy governor of the state, Senator Iyiola Omisore is a bonafide member of the party.

He also maintained that Omisore, who is an erstwhile chairman, Senate Appropriation Committee is also one of the governorship aspirants, contending for the ticket of the SDP ahead of the September 22 gubernatorial poll in Osun State.

Apparently reacting to a recent statement credited to one of the governorship aspirants of the party, Mr Kola Oladeji, claiming that the former deputy governor was not yet a member of the party, Ishola affirmed that “we have welcomed Senator Iyiola Omisore into our party. He is a bonafide member of the SDP in Osun State”.

Speaking to journalists during the inauguration of the local government steering committees of the party in all the 30 local government areas of Osun and Area Council in Modakeke, the SDP chairman asserted that “he is already with us. He has been working with us since the last Osun West senatorial by-election. He has registered as a member of our party at his ward in Ile-Ife.

Responding to enquiries on the conduct of primary election for the contenders on the platform of the party, Ishola emphasised that “we are going to conduct a primary election for all our gubernatorial aspirants. That is a normal thing as far as the constitution is concerned. That is what the constitution of our party says. Presently, we have four governorship aspirants and all of them will participate in the primary election, where our candidate for the election would emerge”.

It is recalled that governorship aspirant of the SDP, Mr Kola Oladeji, had in a statement last weekend said Omisore was not yet a member of the party, let alone be its governorship candidate.

He argued that the fear of governorship primaries that forced Senator Omisore out of PDP, awaits him in SDP, saying “no one will hand over the party’s gubernatorial ticket to him, without going through the rigorous primary processes instituted by the party platform”.

Oladeji specifically stated that until Omisore is able to legitimately perfect his membership, he remains “just a friend of SDP,” pointing out that available records at his disposal have not shown that the former federal lawmaker is yet a member of SDP.