There are indications that former governor of Osun State and National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, may be backing his erstwhile deputy, Senator Iyiola Omisore, on his gubernatorial aspiration.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that Omisore was Akande’s deputy when the Ila-Orangun-born politician governed the state between 1999 and 2003.
However, Omisore was impeached in 2002 by the state House of Assembly.
The lawmakers accused Omisore of breach of oath of office and conflict of interest with the state government.
They also accused the former deputy governor of divulging official secrets of the State Executive Council as well as dragging the state government to court over a 1.5 million dollar water chemical contract.
Following his impeachment, Omisore’s relationship with Akande became sour. The Ile-Ife-born politician later joined the Peoples Democratic Party, where he was elected to the Senate to represent Osun East constituency in April 2003.
He was reelected in 2007 and appointed to committees for Police Affairs, Housing, Culture & Tourism, Aviation, and Appropriation.
The former deputy governor has made a series of attempts to be the governor of Osun but has failed, hoping that things will be different this time around.
In 2014, Omisore contested the gubernatorial election against former governor Rauf Aregbesola and lost. He also contested the 2018 election with the immediate past governor, Gboyega Oyetola with the same outcome.
The sour relationship between Akande and Omisore became prominent in 2021 when the former governor released his autobiography, “My Participations.”
Akande, in the book, explained the roles played by Omisore before and during his tenure as the state governor, as well as activities which led to his impeachment in December, 2002.
The former Interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said Omisore crept into his life as a silent malignant cancer and later turned to a Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing with his alleged fraudulent deals and efforts to impeach him.
Akande also alleged in his book that Omisore led thugs to harass and remove the cap from the head of former Minister of Power and Steel and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige when he came for a programme in Ile-Ife.
Akande, in the book, said things went sour between them when Omisore wanted him to partake in an alleged contract fraud of the supply of water chemicals to the Ministry of Water Resources to the tune of $1.5 million which he refused.
The former governor of the state disclosed that the contract was awarded under the military administration of Brigadier Theophilus Bamigboye, whom Omisore was close to, but was not implemented before he took over.
He said: “I was quick to conclude, shortly after we came into office, that Iyiola Omisore would be a big problem for my government. His spending propensity was ravenous. His ambition was inordinate, and he was prepared to go to any extent and employ any weapon, no matter how dastardly or devilish, to achieve his objectives. He showed his hands early enough during the transition period.
“I became very suspicious of him and his intentions, and I was on my guard. One day, he walked into my office. He took a blank sheet on my table, wrote 85 boldly at the centre, and circled it. ‘Sir, please take. That is N85 million,’ he said. I didn’t understand it. Then, he left my office. Choosing his time and words carefully after all these preliminaries, that was how Omisore brought to my notice, in piecemeal, the matter of this contract of $1,500,000.00, which the outgoing military administrator, Col. T.O. Bamigboye, awarded.
“He said the contract of $1.5 million was approved by the former military administrator for the purchase of chemicals for the use of Osun State Ministry of Water Resources. He said even though Chrisore Engineering was the official agent of Hybart, all of us would benefit from the largesse. He promised me N85 million as my own share. He said my predecessor, Brigadier Bamigboye, would also have a share of $300,000.00. There was no way I could verify this, since he might just be mentioning names to impress me. I did not buy his story.
“I made him realise that it was unfortunate that the military did not conclude the business by fiat, in their traditional wont, before they left. I explained that in the spirit of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, the Governor was not in a position to approve payment of such huge amount without the concurrence and express authorisation of the State Executive Council.
“I therefore advised him to present his claim on the matter in the form of a memorandum to the State Executive Council. He thereafter submitted a memorandum dated August 23, 1999, to the state executive Council. The memorandum was taken by the council on September 22, 1999.”
Akande retorted that the ripples from the canceled contract and creation of Modakeke Area office, heightened the disagreements with his deputy and resulted in the eventual attempt to impeach him by the lawmakers in the state House of Assembly, as plotted by Omisore.
He disclosed: “Unfortunately, the following month, a decision to create Modakeke Area office was taken by my government on October 30, 2000. Soon after these two incidents, on November 1, 2000, the Osun State House of Assembly began proceedings to impeach me as governor.
“It was a period of heavy national politics and our party, the AD, was fighting for its soul. The party was subverted from within and attacked from without. The plot to remove me through impeachment or other means was getting thicker.
“I learnt that Omisore was receiving a lot of support and comfort from Governor Adefarati and some other centres outside Osun State. He believed it was only a matter of time that I would be impeached and he would become the Governor.”
However, OSUN DEFENDER gathered that the relationship between the two politicians has improved with Omisore now said to be back in the good books of the former governor.
The former Deputy paid a visit to Chief Akande’s country home in Ila Orangun to celebrate the Sallah festivities in March this year.
In the pictures and videos shared after the visit, the two men were seen laughing and cracking jokes.
Also, former Special Adviser to the immediate past governor on Public Health, Dr Olasiji Olamiju, who is one of the trusted allies of Chief Akande, was recently seen at the official declaration of Omisore’s gubernatorial aspiration.
Political analysts said Olamiju’s presence at the event showed that Akande might be supporting his former deputy.
The analysts noted that Olamiju would have sought the consent of Baba Akande before aligning with Omisore’s camp.
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, a source within the camp of the former deputy governor who does not want his name in print, confirmed that the relationship between the two men is back to normal.
The source noted that Omisore has sought the support of Akande, adding that he expected the former governor to back his erstwhile deputy.
The source, however, declined to confirm if Akande has given his endorsement to Omisore or whether the appearance of Olamiju at the official announcement was a sign of support by the APC national leader.
Kazeem Badmus is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience. A professional in journalism and media writing, Kazeem prioritses accuracy and factual reportage of issues. He is also a dexterous finder of the truth with conscious delivery of unbiased and development oriented stories.
