Osun 2018: Terrain Builds Up As Race for Guber Poll Begins

Although, the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) has not officially released the time table as well as procedural guidelines for the 2018 Governorship Elections in Osun State, political gladiators in the state have begun what could be described as declaration of interests or campaign as the case may be for the Osun helmsman job.

Despite abysmal performance of PDP in the last election, party stalwarts are cleverly re-strategizing to ensure that the best candidate is fielded this time around to ensure its victory

Although, still about more than 21 months to the expiration of the incumbent, Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s tenure, the race for who to lead Osun in the next dispensation is gradually building up with scheming and manoeuvrings among the gladiators.

For some days now, recent events seem to tell the ordinary citizen of the land of the virtues that those who want to lead the state are already indicating their interests.

A drive round Osogbo, the state capital, shows that posters of some politicians aspiring to be flag-bearers of political parties in the state are already in all nooks and crannies of the town.

Notable among them include former speaker of the State House of Assembly, Barrister Adejare Bello and a Federal Commissioner of the National Population Commission, NPC, Mr. Lere Oyewumi are vying for governor under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from Osun West Senatorial District respectively.

Others include; former chairman of the Senate Committee on Budget and Appropriation, Senator Iyiola Omisore; Barrister Albert Abiodun Adeogun and Chief Wole Oke also from PDP are jostling for the coveted governor’s seat from Osun East Senatorial District respective.

CityMirrorNews gathered that all the aspirants who are from the embattled PDP that was defeated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the last governorship election in the state, according to findings, are not resting on their oars to win the forthcoming guber poll.

Investigations revealed that the state chapter of the party has started receiving applications from the aspirants who would be subjected to screening before the primaries.

A PDP chieftain from Ipetumodu, in Ife North Local Government Area who preferred anonymity said there was no harm in the candidature of Omisore and Adeogun who are from the same Federal Constituency and Senatorial District of the state.

According to him, “I see no harm if two or more candidates are aspiring for a particular political office from the same zone. It adds values to democracy and strengthens the beauty in democracy”.

The party chieftain, added, “Do you remember that Adeogun wanted to contest senatorial seat when the former Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse directed him to step down for Omisore? If he wanted to go for governorship in 2018, so be it. All of them would face the party primaries”.

He was of the view that Omisore had tried once and failed, pointing out that new people without any allegations against them should be encouraged to also try their lucks.

The PDP chieftain throws weights behind free, fair and credible primaries just as he expressed optimism that the forthcoming party’s primaries would be done credibly as monarchs in the state would not be allowed to interfere with partisanship as was experienced some years ago when some traditional rulers threw caution to the dogs and imposed candidates on the party.

Although, none of the aspirants could be reached to comment on their bid to contest in 2018, but it would be recalled that a factional chairman of the party in the state, Engr. Soji Adagunodo Oluwatukesi recently in Osogbo assured that his party would conduct credible primaries to select its candidate for the governorship poll in 2018.

Adagunodo disclosed that the executives would meet this month on ways to conduct primaries that would be rancour free and would produce a credible candidate that would wrestle power from the ruling APC.

Chief Bayo Faforiji, the chairman of the other faction of the PDP in the state, could not be reached for his reaction but one of his assistants said, “we have some issues yet to resolve in Osun PDP, until we do that no date could be fixed for our primaries. We would keep our house in order before the primaries otherwise the ruling power would win the gubernatorial seat again”.

With the election about one and a half years away, key watchers and pundits are of the view that events will continue to unfold and roll as it draws nearer with the possibility of other aspirants coming out especially from the APC and other political parties.

For the other political parties, things will start to pick up early next year according to our correspondents who were in the state during the 2014 guber poll.

From the ruling party’s camp, there seems to be no straight news on who will succeed Aregbesola from his party with fingers pointing at different stalwarts especially the intention of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yussuff to be the next Governor of Osun State.

Other fillers from the APC revealed that the long silence will be broken as members are anxiously waiting for the Governor to constitute his cabinet as well as Local Government Caretaker Committees across the state.

At a media parley in Osogbo, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, who to many is Tinubus anointed candidate for the Osun top job told, newsmen at the event that very soon, Aregbesola will name his commissioners and members of the Local Government Caretaker Committee.

That done, the notion being nursed by so many people is that, aspirants from the two camps believed to be in the party, the home based and the Lagos based will start spurring in.

A larger chunk of the home based according to investigation is in support of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Najeem Salaam who many tip for the race considering the Osun West Senatorial District factor that has not produced the Governor of the State since the 1st executive Governor of the State, Sen. Isiaka Adeleke left office after an abrupt end to his tenure in the 1992/93 political dispensation.

All things being equal, the race for the Oke-Fia Government House which is over a year away is expected to gain more momentum in the coming months as diverse interest groups continue to emerge for those who may want to use their platforms to gain access to the coveted seat.