Omisore prime to emerge Osun SDP governorship candidate

SENATOR Iyiola Omisore has been favoured to emerge the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the Osun State governorship election slated for September 22.

Omisore, a former deputy governor in the state, who came to ahead of two other aspirants, Atanda Munirudeen Kehinde and Oladeji Kolawole Yemisi, who contested the primary election held on Wednesday, across all the 332 wards in the state.

As of 8:00 p.m., the party’s chairman of the electoral panel from Abuja, Prof Rufai Alkali, announced results from 29 of 31 local government areas, in presence of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials.

In all the 29 local councils announced, Omisore recorded landslide win, which gave him a clear chance to emerge the party’s candidate.

The announcement of the results from the local councils which was greeted with wild jubilation, Omisore’s supporters said, had confirmed his popularity among the registered members, who participated in the ‘Option A4’ voting pattern, and other party faithful, who thronged different wards where the primary election held in the state.

Alkali, a former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and political adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan, said the election was peaceful and the process which would lead to a candidate’s emergence was transparent.

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The spokesperson for SDP, Mr Taiwo Akeju, speaking on the election, said the party’s leadership was impressed by the turnout of SDP members and their peaceful conduct across voting centres in the state.

“We want to appreciate the support of our party members for their large turnout and peaceful conduct, likewise INEC officials and electoral committee members, who worked tirelessly for the conduct and successful completion of the party’s primary election,” Akeju said.

Party leaders which include Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, a former PDP vice chairman, South West, Dr Olu Agunloye, Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan, a former Police Affairs Minister, among other state and national officers of the party were around when the results were being announced.