The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in Osun State in the recently concluded Governorship election, Senator Iyiola Omisore, has revealed why he supported the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, in the rerun election in the state.
Omisore said he supported the APC because the PDP told him they did not need his support.
He said this while in a meeting with members of his party in Oshogbo, the state capital.
“I want to adopt all what Dr Farounbi said. We gave them (APC and PDP) our manifesto. We dwelled on payment of arrears of salaries, pensions and gratuities, on local content, employment for our youths and the reorganisation of the educational system, among others.
“We went to negotiation with a clear mind that Osun must be free and thank God our coalition has produced a new future for the state.
“In addition to what Dr Faroumbi said, the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomole, said clearly that our discussion was devoid of any financial commitment. He said they were ready to work.”
Omisore, who defected from the PDP to the SDP some months before the election, said that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar wanted to come and discuss with him before the rerun when he came to Osogbo but he (Atiku) was prevented from coming by the leadership of the PDP in the state.
Dr Yemi Farounbi, who is a former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, had said this same thing in an interview.
He said the party opted to support the candidate of the party that was ready to implement the manifestos of the SDP because the party was for the best interest of the majority of the people.
Farounbi had said the party was ready to support any party that was ready to put the state first and that negotiation didn’t involve any financial consideration and was centered around pensions, gratuities and impoverished workers in the state.
Farounbi said, “Apart from these, we also said the state must return to 6-3-3-4. That contracts and services must be given to Osun indigenes; that infrastructural development and food security must be given priority because our people must not be hungry and they agreed.
“The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, was the first to come and he came from the airport to Ile-Ife with some senators and Dr Doyin Okupe. We gave him our manifesto and we waited for 24 hours but no response. We heard that they were saying that we wanted to reap where we did not sow. We heard that they said they would win without us and all that.
“Also, former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel, who is the director general of Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation, called and said they were in Osogbo and they would come to see us. But they did not come.