Osun 2018: APC chieftain, Peter Babalola, declares support for Omisore

DR Peter Babalola, chairman of Osun Local Government Service Commission, under Governor Rauf Aregbesola administration, and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has thrown his weight behind the Osun State governorship ambition of Senator Iyiola Omisore of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Welcoming Omisore to his Ikire country home, on Sunday, amid cheers from his crowd of supporters, Babalola, popularly called ‘Peter Power,’ said he was on a rescue mission for Osun, and now ready to support a credible candidate, adding, “of all the governorship candidates in Osun, Omisore is the most qualified.”

In his open remark to his supporters, Babalola, who, as a chieftain of APC and governorship aspirant of the party, hinged his preference for Omisore, an opposition party’s candidate, primarily on his “interest for development of Osun State, saying, Omisore is an experienced politician and qualified to govern the state having served as a former deputy governor and as a senator, who represented the state twice in the Senate.

“Apart from being a former deputy governor in the state, Omisore as a senator chaired the appropriation committee, which I consider as the most important committee in the Senate, so, as we can see, he is an experienced politician, who can be supported for the progress of the state,” Babalola said.

He said he had begun a rescue mission for Osun State with an agenda for the ‘West’ and he had already told his party leadership to make amends, and if it is left undone, he was prepared to call others together to assess all the candidates, and put resources together to support the best of the contestants.

According to him, “one person can’t do it alone. This is now a rescue mission for Osun, I’ve told my party to make amends and hopefully this can be made before Friday, and if the result is not positive, all of us will sit down together and dialogue where I can boldly ask, if we put Omisore down, does anyone has a credential that can match his own, so, why not let us put our resources together and support him?”

Babalola said, “Osun people are fed up, but our grievances are different. For some of us, our demand is that it is the turn of Osun West, but it is rather unfortunate that as of now, I can’t say, but we in the West and others in Osun East, West and Central, we will call ourselves together, and decide.

But I’m ready anytime to support the best candidate if correction is not made.

ALSO READ: PDP to Buhari, APC: Speak out on alleged N21b Daura loot

“What the SDP is doing now is the best, even it is commendable that the party has settled for a youthful person to occupy the office of the deputy governor (Yemi Lawal) who is 36 years old. I wish the SDP best of luck and my party too. My own project now is Osun. We need to know who to follow and if it is Osun project, I can mount the rostrum and campaign for Omisore. There are others I can campaign for too and there are others I can’t campaign for.”

He lamented the poor financial status of Osun State, especially the fact that it can’t pay workers salaries, affirming that, Osun is not rich, so, we need a prudent manager who can manage the resources of this state very well.”

Omisore reacting, thanked Babalola for his warm reception. He said his mission was to salvage Osun State, stating that “progressives who are on a genuine mission will meet at a point, a point of decision, and a point of turnaround,” which he said was being established.

Now in Osun, Omisore said they have reached a “point to change the destinies and fortunes of Osun people, a point to make an impact and of course, to change the political landscape of Osun.

He said, this, he had embarked upon, a mission to look for like minds to save the state, while he lauded Babalola as someone who is vast enough to know the dynamics and intricacies and tactics of Osun politics.