Osun Rerun: Oshiomhole Attributes Victory to Deal with Omisore
Adams Oshiomhole
* Says SDP candidate was offered senatorial, house of reps, state assembly slots
By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
As the ruling All Progressives Congress continues to savour its victory in the governorship election in Osun State, its national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has said the party won due to a deal it struck with the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Senator Iyola Omisore.
While reacting, on Friday, to the barrage of criticisms trailing the rerun governorship poll conducted in Osun by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Oshiomhole said going by the narrow margin with which the winner emerged, it was clear that the exercise was credible.
The APC national chairman said the party worked hard to seal a deal with the candidate of SDP, Senator Iyiola Omisore, while the PDP was busy protesting against the supplementary election.
“That we agreed that we are going to give him opportunity to contest for a senate seat, that is correct. Not just the Senate but House of Representatives and House of Assembly seats. Going forward, we discussed how to work together,” he said.
He said that Omisore was a deputy governor to the founding national chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, in 1999 when he was governor, adding that Omisore is not a fake progressive but has had an early working relationship with the progressives.
Oshiomhole also disagreed that APC used intimidation against the opposition parties, saying that it was not in the interest of the ruling party to engage in such act.
He said those who were castigating the commission, including Senate President Bukola Saraki, had no basis to do so.
The APC chairman said as far the party was concerned, INEC performed creditably well in the Osun State election.
Oshiomhole also vowed that the ruling party will not accept minority party members to superintend over the National Assembly.
He called on Senator Saraki to reconvene the legislative chambers so that budget for 2019 general elections could be passed.
