COME Saturday, September 22, 2018, forty-eight political parties will present candidates to contest for the number one office in Osun State. The ICIR zoomed in on five of the candidates, among whom one is almost certain to be declared the winner.

Here they are:

ADEMOLA ADELEKE – PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP)

Ademola Nurudeen Ifeanyi Jackson Adeleke, born in May 1960, was largely anonymous as far as politics in Nigeria was concerned, until the death of his older brother Isiaka Adeleke in April 2017.

At the time of his death, the older Adeleke, who had been elected Osun State Governor in 1992, was the senator representing Osun West at the National Assembly. Ademola contested and won the bye-election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to replace his deceased elder brother. He ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), having lost the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket.

Ademola’s educational background is quite controversial; the authenticity of his secondary school certificate is still a matter of litigation. He was said to have attended Muslim Grammar School in his hometown, Ede, in Osun State, but whether he sat for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) is yet to be ascertained.

Similarly, it has been established that although Adeleke attended the Jacksonville State University, in Alabama, United State of America, where he was admitted to study criminology, he did not graduate.

Nevertheless, Adeleke leaves no one in doubt when it comes to his love for dancing and his readiness to showcase this. He has earned the name “the dancing senator”, and deservedly so. Be it in church, or a political rally, or a social event, Adeleke is sure to mesmerize his audience with his amazing and highly entertaining dancing steps. Not even his nephew, the popular hip hop musician, Davido, can beat him on the dance floor.

This, however, is the main point critics harp on to argue that Adeleke will not make a good state executive, but it is left for the electorates in Osun State to decide.

IYIOLA OMISORE – SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY (SDP)

Born on September 15, 1957, into a royal family, Iyiola Omisore was educated at the Brunel University, London, earning two bachelor’s degrees, as well as a post-graduate certificate. He also holds a Ph.D in Infrastructure Finance from the International School of Management, Paris, France.

Omisore started his career with Drake and Gordham, an engineering firm in the UK, after two years, he was transferred to the company’s branch in Nigeria called Drake and Scull (Nig) Ltd. Here, Omisore supervised the construction of many significant projects including the Makurdi Air Force Base. He would later establish his own engineering companies; Mechelec Consultants and Chrisore Eng Ltd.

As a politician, Omisore was the Deputy Governor of Osun State between 1999 and 2003 under Governor Adebisi Akande. However, he was accused of having a hand in the murder of former Attorney General of the Federation, Bola Ige. He was charged to court and was remanded in prison.

Omisore has consistently denied having a hand in Bola Ige’s death. He was eventually discharged and acquitted.

But even while still in prison, Omisore contested and won the Osun East senatorial seat in April 2003 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was also re-elected in 2007. However, Omisore’s quest to occupy Osun State’s number one office has not been successful so far, having lost to Rauf Aregbesola in 2014.

This time around, Omisore says Osun State, under Aregbesola’s leadership, is in need of a surgical operation, and only him could restore the state to the path of sustainable growth and development. His popularity in the state will be tested on weekend’s governorship election.

The profiles of other top three contenders will be published tomorrow. The ICIR is providing full coverage of the gubernatorial election.