The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, on Monday held a reception to mark his 71st birthday at his hometown, Iragbiji, but one of the governorship aspirants under the All Progressives Congress, Senator Iyiola Omisore, was conspicuously absent, signalling the internal wrangling between him and the celebrant.
However, a check by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that Omisore sent a congratulatory message to the Minister but did not provide a reason for not attending the event.
Some of the APC aspirants who attended the birthday party included ex-deputy governor, Benedict Alabi, Dotun Babayemi, Akin Ogunbiyi and Bola Oyebamiji.
The medium learnt that the former deputy governor may have deliberately shunned the venue of the event having attended the Olojo Festival in Ife, on Saturday.
But political observers in the state opined that he may have distanced himself from the event due to his 2026 governorship ambition. Recall that there has been uneasy calm in the rank and file of the APC following the entrance of Omisore.
According to sources in the party, members of the party, especially those in the camp of the former Commissioner for Finance, Bola Oyebamiji, who is said to be Oyetola’s preferred candidate, have been in panic mode since Omisore announced his intention to contest the August 8, 2026 election.
Omisore was accused of launching a direct attack on former governor Oyetola.
“His absence from Oyetola’s birthday reception is a signal that all is not well between the two leaders. He did not give any reason for not attending the event. He was at the Olojo festival last Saturday. Therefore, I don’t think he has an excuse for not being present at the birthday party,” a chieftain of the party tells OSUN DEFENDER.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that Omisore, during a meeting with APC ward chairmen recently, said that President Bola Tinubu asked him to contest the 2026 governorship poll.
The former lawmaker who represented Osun East said he initially declined to contest because he thought former governor Oyetola would come back for a second term.
He, however, said he decided to join the gubernatorial race since the minister of Marine and Blue Economy had said he is not interested in coming back in 2026.
He said, “When President Bola Tinubu called me last year to contest for the governorship position, I told him former governor Oyetola would come back for a second term, but he said he wasn’t sure he would.
“So, I told Oyetola what I discussed with the president and he said he will think about it. I initially didn’t want to come out to contest since I thought Oyetola would recontest, but since he said he is not contesting again, that is why I am contesting.”
In another meeting with the Vice Chairmen in the state, Omisore threw shade at his co-aspirants
He said, “After careful consideration, without sounding immodest, I looked at those who have come out to declare their ambition, and I realised that some of the people who even came to ask me to contest are better materials than the other aspirants.”
Speaking with OSUN DEFENDER, a chieftain of the APC who does not want his name in print because of the sensitivity of the matter, described Omisore as a tiger who needs to be tamed quickly by the leadership of the party.
According to the APC chieftain, the recent remarks credited to Omisore were not good for the party, accusing the former deputy governor of undermining the leadership structure of the APC.
He said, “It is a serious issue and the leadership of the party needs to address this quickly before it degenerates into another thing. Omisore is like a tiger that needs to be tamed before it causes mayhem.
“All that he is saying is not good for the party. He is trying to undermine the leadership structure of the party and former governor Gboyega Oyetola. I am not against aspirants going out to meet with people but we must be cautious of what we will be saying outside.”
Yusuf Oketola is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry. He has worked for both print and online medium. He is a thorough-bred professional with an eye of hindsight on issues bothering on social justice, purposeful leadership, and a society where the leaders charge and work for the prosperity of the people.
