How Omisore Became the People’s Choice in Osun

Politics in Osun rarely forgets its old hands. And as the 2026 governorship race begins to hum, one name keeps circling back: Iyiola Omisore, the engineer-turned-politician whose career has survived both scandal and silence. Now, he is again the talk of the state. On a bright day in Osogbo, the former deputy governor and APC national secretary stood before a cheering crowd to declare his bid. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set the party primaries for late November, but Omisore sounded ready. He spoke of 90 per cent support within the party. His tone was both confident and practised.

Omisore’s roots go deep. Born in Ile-Ife into a royal family, he carries the quiet privilege of lineage and the polish of global education, from Reading to Brunel to Harvard. In a state that prizes pedigree as much as performance, that mix matters. His early life as an engineer gave him a technocrat’s edge; his years in the Senate taught him the patience of politics.

Still, experience alone does not explain his resurgence. After years in the political wilderness, Omisore appears to have found his rhythm again, especially as he is aided by an APC base that sees him as the bridge between factions. All 332 ward chairmen have endorsed him. That kind of consensus, rare in Osun’s fractious politics, gives his campaign a head start.

The timing also plays in his favour. Rumours swirl that Governor Ademola Adeleke might defect to the APC, unsettling the field. Within that uncertainty, Omisore’s loyalty to both the party and President Bola Tinubu has become currency. Insiders describe him as the “steady hand” the national leadership can trust.

Yet politics in Osun is never purely arithmetic. The state remembers its dramas, its grudges, its old scores. Omisore will need more than endorsements to convince voters who have seen his name on too many ballot papers.

Nevertheless, as the political landscape is defined by memory, perhaps Omisore’s extended survival is his message. After all, few in Osun have lost so often or lasted so long.