Omisore and the Gubernatorial Gambit

Politics in Osun State has always carried a carnival quality, but few figures dance back into the centre ring as often as Senator Iyiola Omisore. At 68, the engineer-turned-politician has weathered storms, worn labels, and still manages to stir a crowd with promises of redemption and rescue.

His career is a long braid of roles. Deputy governor under Bisi Akande from 1999 to 2003. Two terms in the Senate, where he helmed the Appropriation Committee. A gubernatorial hopeful in 2014 and again in 2018. Each bid brought him close, never quite crossing the threshold. Until now, perhaps.

The 2026 race has rekindled talk of inevitability. Over 300 APC ward chairmen and elected councillors recently endorsed him, describing Omisore not just as experienced but as essential. For them, his candidacy represents more than ambition. It is the party’s best wager against the rhythm and stamina of Governor Ademola Adeleke.

Omisore’s consultations have been relentless. From Osogbo to Ilesa, he has pitched a consensus, insisting the APC cannot afford division. His allies echo the refrain: he is the bridge-builder, the financier, the strategist who once helped secure Bola Tinubu’s emergence. To them, 2026 is less contest, more coronation.

Yet politics rarely obeys choreography. Omisore’s past, marked by shifting party loyalties and unfinished races, lingers in memory. Will voters embrace him as the seasoned hand finally due his turn, or see another recycled name in a state hungry for fresh energy? The tension hums in every roadside conversation

Still, Omisore projects a curious confidence. He calls his blueprint “a rescue mission,” promising grassroots empowerment and renewed order. His base in Ife, one of Osun’s largest voting blocs, gives him muscle. His connections in Abuja give him reach. The combination could tilt the scales if momentum holds.

And so, Osun waits. In a land where drummers set the pace for dancers, the question is not only whether Omisore can lead the tune but whether the people will still choose to sway with him when the music of 2026 begins.